War of Hearts
by TheGirlWithTheDorkyDad
Summary: When the Pevensies are recalled to Narnia, nothing is as they expected it to be, particularly the mysterious girl that has become Caspian's left hand. Her mysterious arrival and strange tendencies confuse the siblings, and the interactions between the strange girl and Edmund give them even more reason to be curious. Together, can they help give the Narnians back their kingdom?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC.**

Lucy Pevensie woke to the snap of a twig, her eyes snapping open at the miniscule sound in the seemingly endless forest. Slowly, she pushed herself off of the forest floor, careful not to disturb her sleeping siblings and the D.L.F.

"Susan," she whispered, "wake up!" Her elder sister, partially awake, rolled onto her stomach.

" 'Tis early Lu," she mumbled, her mind still under the influence of sleep, "whatever you like." Susan settled her cheek onto her folded arms as she stilled, falling back into the embrace of sleep. Lucy frowned slightly before another noise drew her attention once again back to the forest, her head snapping around to look, hair fanning out as she did so.

Sparing one last glance at her sleeping sister, she padded into the woods, re-tracing the footsteps that she followed in her dream. Contrary to her dream however, the golden light that bathed the trees was absent in the waking-world; the trees and forest itself seemed to carry an aura of foreboding, darkness and shadows blanketing the land in front of her. Nevertheless, the Queen of Narnia continued to follow the path she had walked while sleeping. Approaching a tree, she brought a hand up to softly touch the bark,

"Wake up," she pleaded softly, looking up into its branches sadly before continuing to walk. She approached the rocks from her dream, searching profusely around her, eyes combing through the forest for any sign of the Great Lion. From around the bend in the path, on the other side of the rocks, a slight growling sound was emitted, and a smile graced Lucy's face. "Aslan?!" she exclaimed, grinning and moving to round the bend. Before the young Queen could go to far, a pair of arms snaked around her, a hand moving to cover her mouth, as her older brother Peter grabbed her shoulder and pulled her behind the brush. She struggled at first, but seeing her brother, the youngest Pevensie stopped fighting and the two siblings moved to peer around the corner.

Instead of the great lion that Lucy had been hoping for, a massive Minotaur was walking through the woods, its giant hooves and weapons laden back producing an element of fear in the girl, her mind remembering the beast that she once fought against when she and her siblings helped Aslan to defeat the White Witch. Peter brought his finger up to his lips, signaling for his sister to be quiet, and moved to engage the creature, drawing his sword as he silently moved towards the giant Narnian.

Without warning, a young man emerged from the forest, seemingly out of nowhere and with a loud cry, swung his sword at Peter. The man looked to be around Peters own age of 18, possibly a few years older, but his shaggy dark brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin were in stark contrast to Peters own blonde hair and blue eyes. Without much delay, the two began what can best be described as a sword fight, the two young men moving with a grace that would leave many dumbfounded. Between the ducking, parrying and blows, Peter was able to land a blow, his fist and sword hilt finding the other man's jaw.

His opponents recovery was quick, and the two once resumed the violent dance until Peter swung his sword, twisting the dark haired man's sword away, sending it flying to the forest floor. Peter swung at the man's head, who ducked, causing Peter's sword to become embedded into the bark of the tree from the force. The dark haired man delivered a swift kick to the High King's ribs, sending him skittering to the ground. Peter grabbed a rock as the other man moved to pull the sword from the tree, and moved to use it as a weapon before a startling cry drew both of their attention.

"No, Stop!" Lucy cried emerging from where she had watched the entire ordeal fearfully. Both men stopped to look at her, before Peter looked around, hearing noises from all around him. Much to his surprise, animals, fauns, dwarves, minotaurs, centaurs and other Narnians emerged from the woods, distracting him as the other man succeeded in removing Peter's sword from the tree. With his own sword pointed at him, Peter narrowed his eyes slightly before a flash of recognition sparked through them.

"Prince Caspian?" He said slowly, eyes studying the man in front of him. Caspian narrowed his eyes, his lip bloody.

"Yes. And who are you?"

"Peter!" Susan's voice rang out clearly through the woods, both men turning as Susan, Edmund and Trumpkin joined Lucy. Understanding and disbelief flickered across Caspian's face as he looked at the four Pevensies and the sword in his hand.

"High King Peter," he said, a hint of confusion and awe in his voice as he realized the young man standing in front of him was the very same his professor had told him stories of.

"I believe you called," Peter responded smartly.

"Well yes but," Caspian glanced around at the 4 again, "I thought you'd be older." Peter looked at Caspian, an unspoken chord had been struck, and the High King had taken the prince's statement personally.

"Well if you like, we can come back in a few years." Peter said, inclining his head to his siblings and taking a step toward them.

"No!" Caspian said quickly, "That's alright, you're just not exactly what I expected." He looked at the three other siblings again, his eyes lingering on Susan a moment longer than the rest.

"Neither are you," Edmund spoke up, casting a warily confused glance at a Minotaur standing on a ledge near him, no doubt recalling his first visit to Narnia.

"A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes," Trufflehunter responded, looking at Nikabrik beside him.

"Jesus Caspian, I leave you alone for 5 minutes and you get into a swordfight with the High King." An exasperated voice rang through the clearing. Everyone turned to look at the lowest branches of a tree to the side of the Pevensie children, where a figure had seemed to appear out of thin air, standing atop the branch with her eyebrow raised at the Telmarine prince, shoulder leaning against the trunk, an entertained expression clearly visible across her features. The Prince cast her a look, to which she only rolled her eyes before jumping down to stand next to the young man. To a stranger they could have been siblings, the girl having long dark hair, the same color as Caspian's, falling to mid-back, and the same olive complexion as the man next to her. The only difference between the two were the girl's eyes, a gray that mimicked the clouds on a stormy day. She was dressed in a simple black dress, a black leather corset, and matching arm guards around her wrists. Strapped to her back was a leather quiver, fully stocked, and what seemed to be two long daggers, and a longbow was gripped in her hand. A leather belt encircled her waist, with several daggers strapped to it. The girl returned the bow that had been in her hand to its position on her back, curtsying slightly to the 4 Kings and Queens of old.

"And you are?" Peter asked her, not nearly as amused as his siblings had been by her entrance, an expression of indifference on his face. If this bothered the girl, she did not let it show.

"Embry Black, at your service!" She grinned eyes twinkling mischievously. Peter cocked his head at her, but it was Edmund who spoke.

"You don't sound like a Telmarine, in fact, you almost sound American." He stated, looking at the girl cautiously. Her smile dropped slowly into a grimace, her fist tightening around the dagger on her hip out of reflex. Caspian put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze and she shot him a grateful look. She opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, Reepicheep chose to butt in, and her shoulders visibly relaxed, she so owed the mouse.

"We have anxiously awaited your return my liege. Our hearts and swords are at your service." He proclaimed bowing to the eldest Pevensie. Lucy leaned over to Susan,

"Oh my gosh he is so cute!" she whispered to her sister. Reepicheep's ears perked and he spun drawing his sword,

"Who said that!" He exclaimed, sweeping his sword through the air. Lucy looked at him guiltily,

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. Embry had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing aloud as the mouse in question attempted to recover himself.

"Uh, your majesty," he said moving his sword behind him and lowered his ears and tail, stepping forward with a bow as he continued, "with the greatest respect. I do believe courageous, courteous, or chivalrous might better befit a knight of Narnia." He finished by sheathing his sword. Embry was watching the mouse with a small smile on her face, remembering when she had said the same as Lucy but had received a sword in her face instead.

"Well," Peter said, obviously amused by the mouse, "At least we know some of you can handle a blade." Embry narrowed her eyes at the hidden blow at Caspian, but let the exchange continue.

"Yes indeed," Repicheep responded. Embry narrowed her eyes further as Caspian looked at the ground, obviously upset in some way. "And I have recently put it to good use securing weapons for your army sire." Embry shot a confused look at the mouse. It was _Caspian's_ army. She could see that Glenstorm shared her thoughts as he looked at Caspian, who had a look mirroring her own.

"Good, because we're going to need every sword we can get." Peter said, turning to look at Caspian again, his eyes briefly flickering to Embry.

"Well then," Caspian stated, "you will probably be wanting yours back." He shifted his grip on the sword so that Peter could grasp the hilt, which he did, swinging it and sheathing it with a look on his face that made Embry want to smack him. With that, Peter turned and began walking, most following behind him. Embry glared at the back of the blonde-haired boys head before shaking her head and following Caspian. He looked at her, "Are you alright?" he asked her softly. She huffed and looked up at him, him being an inch or two taller than her 5'10".

"Blondie is pissing me off and he's only been here 5 minutes." She stated bluntly, causing Caspian's eyes to widen slightly and a snort to sound from behind them. Embry looked over her shoulder at the dark haired boy who was trying, and failing, to conceal his laughter, raising an eyebrow at him. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "What's your name?" She asked him, taking him by surprise, her gray eyes peering at him inquisitively. He slowly lowered his hands and stuck one of them out in front of him, testing a theory.

"Edmund, Edmund Pevensie." He said cautiously, waiting to see if the girl would shake his hand. Embry moved forward and grabbed his hand with her own, shaking it firmly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she dropped his hand and curtsied, "your highness." She stood up, her lip quirking up in a smirk as Edmund looked at her dumbfound. Why had she asked if she clearly knew who he was? She turned back to Caspian who was watching the entire exchange amusedly. "I'm going to go on ahead, get things ready for your return." She moved to bow politely but Caspian stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"I have told you many times, there is no need to bow to me, little sister." He smiled at her as she returned the gesture, clapping her hand on his shoulder and smiling at the term of endearment he had begun to call her within the last few days. Although they had only met a few weeks ago, the two had quickly formed a sibling relationship, surprising many of the Narnians, she had been rather tentative around everyone for a while when she first arrived. Well, everyone except the prince, the centaurs and Trufflehunter.

Turning to the woods, Embry placed her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle, waiting a moment before a horse galloped into view. It was a large buckskin horse, golden in color, with a black mane and tail; fully saddled, the horse approached her and whinnied. Embry smiled at her friend, gripping the saddle. Caspian reached down, and with one hand on her ankle and the other on her knee, he helped her onto her horse.

"Are you sure you are okay to ride on your own?" Caspian asked her. Embry nodded,

"I'll be fine Caspian, besides, Brego makes it easy, I don't have to do anything." She replied grinning and squeezing the horse with her legs, urging him on as she galloped past frazzled Narnians, all scrambling to get out of her way. Caspian watched her go, shaking his head before moving to walk next to Peter. Susan and Lucy began to walk but Edmund stayed frozen, stuck in his thoughts. Susan turned to look at her brother quizzically,

"Edmund," she said snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," he muttered moving quickly to walk beside his sisters. One single thought kept tumbling around in the Just King's mind as he walked: She shook his hand without hesitation – she was not Narnian.

 **So I hope you all liked the first chapter of this story, which, as I'm typing this I haven't come up with but as you are reading this you probably know the title. Either way, thanks for reading! It feels really really good to be writing again, and to all the people who might have read some of my other stories, i'm really sorry i've been away for so long and hopefully I can get working on updating some of my other stories fairly soon! So thanks again and please Read and Review!**

 **-** **TheGirlWithTheDorkyDad**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC**

Embry leaned forward, clutching on to the reigns with one hand and threading the fingers of her other through dark mane of her horse, holding on for dear life as he went into a flat out gallop across the grassy expanse that preceded the stone temple known as Aslan's How. Why had she thought riding ahead by herself was a good idea again? She honestly had no clue and pressed herself as flat to the back of the dashing horse as she could.

"Brego," she hissed, her eyes barely open as the two barreled toward the stronghold, "I would really appreciate it if you slowed down please." Her horse snorted and Embry raised an eyebrow in contempt. "Yes I understand that I shouldn't have overestimated my riding ability, you don't need to rub it in you know." She muttered as her horse thankfully slowed to a steady canter across the remaining distance. The sky was clear and blue, white clouds dotting the endless space here and there. The sun shone down on the clearing, the grass swishing softly in the slight breeze, creating an aura of peacefulness. Pulling back on the reigns to stop her reluctant horse, Embry waited as a faun trotted over to her and took the reins before swinging her leg over and sliding off of Brego. Or at least that was the idea, but her foot had other plans. Gripping on to the top of the saddle, its smooth surface and her sweaty palms making a solid hold nearly impossible, Embry hopped on her right foot as she attempted to free her other from the confines of the solid metal stirrup. "Oh come on…" She huffed in annoyance when suddenly her hands slipped and her body fell backwards to land on the ground with a yelp. Unfortunately, her foot remained in the stirrup for a moment more before coming free with a twang in the girl's ankle. "Fuck that hurt." Slowly adjusting her hands to push herself to a standing position, she felt a soft hand grasp her bicep, helping her to stand.

"You know you ought to be more careful young one," A feminine voice laced with amusement and exasperation rang out, its owner earning herself a grateful yet annoyed look from the young girl. Embry rolled her eyes, brushed the dust off of her dark dress and turned to look up at the female centaur in front of her, peering at her for a moment then turning her eyes sheepishly to her feet.

"I know Windmane, I simply forgot your advice," The centauress sighed at the young girl in front of her. "I was simply in a hurry," Embry's eyes widened and she looked up at her friend, "we found them. The kings and queens of old. Well rather they found us, and Caspian and blondie got in a sword fight, but nonetheless we found them and they are on their way. That's why I was in a hurry." The dark haired girl finished, looking rather proud of herself for being able to deliver such good news. Windmane's back straightened and her hoof pawed the soft dirt impatiently.

"We must get ready then," she stated before turning and galloping down the sloped entrance into the darkness of the How. Embry looked after her friend before throwing her hands into the air in confusion and turning to take the reins from the impatient faun still holding her temperamental horse.

"Thanks," she mumbled and the faun nodded at her before scampering away and down into the How, most likely going to aide in the preparations for the arrival of the Kings and Queens of old. Glaring up at her horse Embry could see that if Brego had the ability to talk, he would have been laughing at her, the mischievous glint in his dark eyes was enough to tell her so. "What are you looking at punk?" She muttered to the golden creature playfully as she began to lead him to where he was kept; Brego being the only horse at the How considering Destrier's disappearance after Caspian escaped warranted him a few perks, especially from his main rider. She led him over to the small makeshift enclosure that a few of the Narnians had helped her make within the preceding few days, its basic wooden fence and small shelter made from branches and logs offering the two some sense of familiarity, walked her steed into the fenced in paddock and began to unsaddle him the way that Caspian had taught her. As she worked, her fingers occasionally fumbling with the buckles as she ran up the stirrups, her mind wandered to her first encounter with the runaway prince that she now considered a close friend. She smiled to herself, the corners of her lips quirking up slightly as she recalled seeing him pinned to the ground beneath the fearsome Reepicheep, not quite knowing what to make of the fun-sized mouse that held him at sword point. Further letting her mind wander as she tended to her horse, a feat that had nearly become muscle memory, she returned to her first recollection of being in Narnia. It seemed like ages ago, when in reality it was a few mere weeks that she had woken up in the strange land full of even stranger creatures.

 _The smell of soil, damp and musty, was the first thing that assaulted her senses, followed by the bright sunlight that filtered through the leafy green canopy that partially sheltered her and pierced her eyes. Rolling to her side with a groan, Embry readjusted her head, using her elbow as a pillow and shuffled around to regain her previous state of comfort. Although she was half drunk with sleep, she paused as a blade of grass tickled her nose and the faint sound of birds chirping roused her further. Her mind sobering, Embry peeled open her eyes, nearly crossing them completely to stare at the single flower that was protruding from the forest floor several inches from her face, its pale white petals and delicate stem providing a stark contrast to the dark shrubs and branches that lay behind it._

 _Cautiously, the dark haired girl used her palms to push herself into a sitting position, and spared a glance at her surroundings. Endless arrays of trees, all towering above her with thick canopies like blankets and everything beneath them looking the same. It was as if she was staring at a mirror, every direction looking the same as the previous as well as the next: leaves coated the solid forest floor, brush and brambles grew in much of the available space, and what spaces were lacking in vegetation there was the occasional tree root protruding from the soil posing serious tripping hazards._

 _Embry looked down at herself, noting her dark-wash ripped skinny jeans, black Converse high tops and the old baggy UC pullover that had been a gift from her grandparents years ago. Her lengthy dark brown hair was left free and tangled around her, a few pieces of brush stuck here and there, a result of her untimely nap on the forest floor. The girl froze. Why was she in the middle of the forest? Hell, what forest did she know that looked like this?_

 _"What the hell?" She muttered to herself, bringing a hand up to rub her eyes in disbelief and confusion as she took in her surroundings. "What happened last night?" Embry's thoughts immediately jumped to conclusions: she had been abducted and dropped in the middle of nowhere, she was still dreaming, or she had simply lost her mind. Opting to test her second hypothesis, the girl pushed up one of the sleeves of her old gray pullover and pinched the skin on her arm forcefully. "Shit!" She yelped as a shock went through her arm, pulling back her hand. "So there goes that idea, not a dream. That means either I was abducted or I've finally lost it. Or I'm high. Or drunk. Or BOTH." The girl's face twisted into a look of distaste at the last possible answer she had thought of. The last thing that she could remember had been falling asleep on her AP Calculus textbook as she worked on the lengthy assignment her teacher had assigned that day. She inwardly groaned: Mrs. Filch was going to have her head if she didn't finish those problems._

 _Looking around one last time, the girl rocked her heels and pushed herself off of the forest floor, placing her hands on her hips and staring thoughtfully into the never ending trees. It seemed to be about mid-day based on the fact that the sun appeared to be directly overhead, so any idea as to which way was East and which way was West was completely useless. Not that it would have mattered considering that Embry had absolutely no idea which way to go. Sighing to herself, she hastily pulled her hair into a ponytail, securing it with one of the several elastics she always kept on her wrist in case of emergencies, frowning slightly at the indent it left on her wrist. Once more she surveyed the wooded area around her before deciding to make her decision the old fashioned way._

 _Slapping her right hand over her eyes, Embry extended her left hand, pointing into the space in front of her and began to spin in a circle, slowly at first, then gradually gaining speed as she continued her decision making process. Unsurprisingly, her foot caught on one of the protruding tree roots that had escaped her notice, and the girl cried out, her ankle tweaking slightly before she flopped face first onto the dusty forest floor. Groaning, the dark haired girl rotated her body to look at the offending limb, cursing it as she unlaced her left shoe, wincing as she saw the area surrounding her ankle already becoming red and purple hued and swollen._

 _"Fantastic, that's exactly what I need right now." She grumbled to herself as she gently replaced the shoe onto her foot, loosely lacing it up so as to not restrict her now swollen foot any more than necessary. It was not the first sprain that she had gotten, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Nursing her twisted ankle, Embry began to limp in the direction she had nearly face planted, gingerly limping and occasionally gripping the tree trunks for support, profusely cursing her foot and her clumsiness as she went. The girl had not gotten very far before she heard a slight chuckle. Forgetting about the pain in her throbbing ankle, Embry frantically spun around, bending down to grab a decent sized tree branch and waving it around haphazardly. "Who's there?" She questioned loudly, "Come out whoever you are!" She paused a moment before adding, "Unless you're a murderer, then you can stay wherever the hell you are!" The chuckle sounded again, and Embry turned again, waving her stick once more._

 _"You are quite the brave young Telmarine are you not?" A voice responded to her statements, soft and soothing. Embry scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion._

 _"Telmarine?" She repeated the foreign word to herself before speaking again loudly, "I don't know who you are, but I'm warning you, show yourself!" Her brown eyes darting around her, the girl froze in shock as she caught sight of the owner of the mysterious voice. "What the bloody hell is going on here? Am I being punk'd right now?" She exclaimed, glancing up into the trees, looking for any sign of a hidden camera or recording device. Shaking her head, Embry looked once more at the speaker, her eyes widening fractionally with every passing second._

 _Standing in front of her was a man. Sort of. His dark skinned face, upper body and arms were all well-toned and normal, but where torso should have met his lower half, his body seamlessly melted into the body of a horse, dark brown in color, four hooved limbs a tail and all. Strapped across his back, the girl could see what appeared to be a weapon of some sort, its long shape leading her to believe it was a sword or something similar. He was watching her with a look that could only be described as curiosity and a flicker of unsurity and fear. His front fo- hoof was pawing at the ground skittishly and his dark eyes were trained on her every move. His face was not unattractive, and his dark dreadlocks suited him, but Embry could not overlook the fact that this man was not in-fact human. She eyed him warily, taking a small step back._

 _"What are you?" She asked him, her eyes betraying not only her fear, but her genuine curiosity in the creature in front of her. She had an idea, but needed affirmation before she could trust her books and stories. The man-horse glanced around before returning his gaze to the girl in front of him, narrowing his eyes slightly at the young girl._

 _"You wouldn't know considering it was your people who forced mine into hiding, would you Telmarine," He said, his voice taking on an underlying venomous tone. Embry took yet another frightened step backward before warping her face into a confused look and eyeing the creature in front of her._

 _"You're a centaur," She said in awe, meeting the centaur's gaze. He blinked at her tone, confused as to why a Telmarine would know what he was and why she was seemingly in awe of him. Embry shook her head slightly, replaying his last words in her mind and looked back up at the dark haired man, "What the hell is a Telmarine? I'm Irish dude." She paused thoughtfully before adding, "And if you wouldn't mind, where am I exactly, I kind of ended up in the middle of the woods and have no idea how to get home and I have this killer Calculus assignment that I have to finish or my teacher might actually kill me." The centaur looked taken aback at her bluntness. He opened his mouth before he was interrupted, this time by another voice that was neither his nor the girl's._

 _"I do not know what this 'Irish' is that you speak of, but I do know that you neither speak, act, nor dress like any Telmarine I have seen in my many years." Another centaur, this one appearing much older than the first, appeared next to the dark-haired man. Embry could see at first glance that the two shared many physical similarities, and concluded that the two must be related in some way or another. The younger centaur, lowered his head, slightly, whether in submissiveness or shame, she could not tell, and the older centaur continued, "You are in Narnia young Daughter of Eve, and we welcome you. Your arrival has been foretold for many ages," He inclined his head to the confused girl respectfully._

 _"Umm, my mom's name is Adeline," Embry responded with a raised eyebrow, "And you said Narnia? I seriously must be dreaming…" She trailed off slightly, eyebrows drawn together thoughtfully, racking her brain, trying to figure out where she had heard that name before. Abandoning her search and deciding that she would think about it later, she looked up at the older centaur, "You wouldn't happen to know which way Loveland is would you? It's kind of near Milford if that helps… at least I think it's near Milford."_

 _"There is nowhere in Narnia by either of those names," The older centaur gravely informed the girl who widened her eyes._

 _"Oh my god this is really happening isn't it," She looked at the older centaur once more for confirmation and he nodded to her. She slumped to the ground and buried her head into her hands, not crying but sitting on the ground in the middle of the forest in palpable distress. She sat there, head in her hands, hair draping itself like a curtain across her knees, for several minutes, before footfalls indicating the arrival of one of the centaurs. She glanced up, her eyes slightly watery, meeting the gaze of the older centaur._

 _"What is your name young Daughter of Eve?" He asked her, not unkindly, his voice a smooth and deep sound, soothing to her ears and her troubled soul._

 _"Embry, Embry Black." She responded to the kind centaur. He nodded at her,_

 _"Welcome to Narnia, Lady Embry. My name is Glenstorm, and that is my youngest son Ironhoof. Come, we are gathering for the horn of Queen Susan the Gentle of old has called us to do so, and the stars have told me that it is time. Let us continue, and perhaps we may find someone to tend to your injuries." Glenstorm looked at Embry pointedly, referring to her ankle, which began to throb more prominently._

 _"I thank you for your kindness, especially considering I don't know how to get home." She thanked the centaur politely. Then reaching to grab a taller, thicker branch from the forest floor to use as a walking stick, she followed the two centaurs, Glenstorm graciously answering her questions about Narnia and the Telmarines and telling her about the Kings and Queens of old and their defeat of the White Witch as well as their disappearance. Eventually ceasing to talk, the trio rejoined Glenstorm's two other sons Rainstone and Suncloud as well as their mother Windmane, who kindly set and wrapped Embry's ankle, the girl nodding her thanks to the centauress._

 _The small company continued to move toward the Dancing Lawn, where Glenstorm said the Narnians were gathering. As they ventured through the forest, Embry still relying heavily on her makeshift walking stick, the party heard the unmistakable sounds of a fight echoing through the trees. Glenstorm turned to Embry and his wife who had been getting along quite well the past few hours._

 _"Remain here, we will return." He said simply and Embry glared at his retreating figure as the four males quietly moved toward the noises, which seemed to be coming from just over a small overhang that dipped into a long expanse of fern-like plants. Rolling her eyes and deciding to give into her curiosity, she crept as best she could behind them. Rainstone heard her futile attempt at stealth and shot her an amused look over his shoulder which quickly morphed into one of disapproval, to which she responded with a cheeky grin._

 _As they got closer, Embry could faintly hear the conversation between a man with a Spanish sounding accent and another. Breaking away from the three centaurs and slowly moving to where she could see the occurring interaction, a higher and slightly farther vantage point than that of the other three, she had to stifle a hearty laugh at the scene in front of her._

 _A young man with dark brown hair and tanned skin was lying on the ground, being held at sword point by a mouse. A MOUSE. Embry slapped a hand over her mouth to prevent blowing her cover and instead tuned her ears into the no doubt amusing conversation._

 _"Which is why I might live longer if I choose not to cross blades with you noble mouse." The shaggy haired young man was saying to the mouse that was currently perched on his chest._

 _"I said I would not fight you, I didn't say I'd let you live," The mouse declared brandishing his sword._

 _"Reepicheep!" Another voice cried out, and Embry looked down to see a wounded badger being supported by a black haired small man, presumably a dwarf, "Stay your blade."_

 _"Trufflehunter!" Reepicheep exclaimed, "I trust you have a very good reason for this untimely interruption."_

 _"He doesn't, go ahead." Deadpanned the dwarf and Embry had to stifle another laugh._

 _"He's the one who blew the horn!" The badger, apparently named Trufflehunter, said with labored breaths. Reepicheep looked at the man beneath him._

 _"What?" She faintly heard him mumble in disbelief._

 _"Then let him bring it forward," Glenstorm said, striding into view flanked by his sons, "this is the reason we have gathered." He paused a moment before sending Embry a disapproving look to which she only smiled sheepishly and shrugged._

 _"I couldn't help myself, I'm a curious person!" She protested earning another reproving look from Glenstorm and a chuckle from Ironhoof. The badger, dwarf, mouse and man all looked at her with varied emotions as she emerged from her hiding spot. Trufflehunter looked at Glenstorm,_

 _"It cannot be," the badger's gaze flickered between the confused girl and Glenstorm who only nodded in affirmation. Embry huffed at their secrecy and hobbled over to a now standing young man and stuck out her hand._

 _"I'm Embry," She introduced herself and the young man looked at her hand for a moment in confusion, "You shake it. Don't ask me why, you just do." The man hesitantly took her hand and the dark haired girl shook it before pulling her hand away._

 _"I am Prince Caspian the tenth," the dark haired man responded and Embry smirked._

 _"So how does a prince end up taken down by a mouse?" She asked him cheekily. He looked at her, at a loss for words. He had no answer and the girl grinned and laughed brightly before the two began to walk after the centaurs, badger, dwarf, and mouse. Well Caspian walked, Embry limped. Nonetheless it was the beginning of a unique friendship as the two shared stories of their homes and childhoods, both secretly happy to be back in the company of another human due to the changing nature of everything else in their lives._

Embry was pulled out of her memories by a loud commotion from outside the How, Narnians clamoring to get into position. They were back.

 **So that was the next chapter of War of Hearts! Just so you all know, the title of this book is based on the song of the same name by Ruelle, so I highly recommend giving it a read! Also I really hope you like this chapter because it is 12:30 and I have standardized testing for school tomorrow (or I guess today) but I really wanted to finish this chapter! Its 7 typed pages and I honestly have no idea how I am able to write that much, especially considering I started writing fanfiction at age 12 on my iPod touch in the notes app. Oh how times change. Also, I hope you like how I structured it but please please please Read and Review! Reviews are what encourage me to write so I would love them and any constructive criticism you have for me (i.e. Typos, ect.) so happy reading all!**

 **-TheGirlWithTheDorkyDad**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC.**

Pulling herself out of her thoughts and memories completely, Embry glanced over her shoulder at the far edge of the clearing where the grassy expanse meshed with the thickly wooded forest to see the figures of the scouting party and the Kings and Queens of old. Brego huffed impatiently and pawed at the ground with his front leg, causing the dark haired girl to roll her eyes at his childish behavior.

"Go on, I'll come see you later you brat," She told him affectionately, stroking his nose and patting him heartily on the neck, the buckskin steed nosing her hand in return before trotting away with a swish of his tail, his rider rolling her eyes at his actions. Embry strode over to the makeshift gate and slipped out, securely knotting the frayed rope to keep the door shut, grabbing her discarded weapons and sliding them across her back. Buckling the straps of her quiver across her chest, the girl began to walk toward the approaching group as they drew closer to the entrance to the How. Embry nodded at the Pevensies in both respect and acknowledgement, and Lucy returned her gesture with a bright smile, the others seemed to be too preoccupied with the approaching structure that loomed overhead to return the gesture. Catching Caspian's eye, the dark haired girl stuck out her tongue at him playfully, failing to notice the piece of stone rubble that lay just ahead of her.

Her dress and foot catching on the stone, Embry tripped and began her ungraceful descent toward the ground for the second time that day, throwing her arms in front of her to help break her fall. However, before she could face-plant, two hands firmly gripped her waist, and returned her to a standing position. Embry looked over her shoulder to see the Just King looking at her with an amused smirk on his face, quickly removing his hands from her waist.

"You're welcome," He stated and Embry raised her eyebrow at him before snorting in a rather unladylike manner,

"I totally had that," She retorted, eyes narrowing slightly, missing the look of shock on the dark haired boy's face at her words as well as the look of sheer amusement from his two sisters. Flicking her long hair over her shoulder and strutting a few steps forward, Edmund noted with a quirk of his lip that she was carefully picking her way around the pieces of stone, skirting the edges of them with her skirt in her hand, lifting the hem off of the ground to better see where she was walking. Caspian shook his head at her,

"Thank you, she does not care to admit her clumsiness," he offered to Edmund who simply shrugged in indifference. The group stopped upon passing through a tall squared stone archway as centaurs lined up on either side of the downward sloping ramp that led into the How, drawing their swords and raising them to form a sort of tunnel out of respect for the Kings and Queens of old. With little hesitation, the four Pevensies began to walk into the How, no doubt a practiced action, easily reclaiming their royal habits. Caspian cast his eyes downward momentarily, prompting Embry to reassuringly squeeze his shoulder before the two followed the royals into the How.

Embry smiled softly to herself upon seeing Lightning Bolt with his sword raised as well, it being slightly too low due to his shorter stature, and the older centaur reaching down to lift his arms higher as the young centaur shared a smile with Lucy. The sun glinted off the lifted blades, and although there was little sound, Embry could imagine a swelling anthem playing in the background, the entire thing reminded her of a movie scene; it was so picture perfect that it was almost surreal.

Entering the dark confines of the How was a stark comparison to the free, airy feeling brought upon by the open expanse outside. The stone walls and dimly lit spaces, illuminated only by the flickering light of the torches that littered the walls of the stone fortress, along with the echoing sounds of hammers on anvils smelting and forging weapons for the Narnian army bounced from the walls, causing a ringing in the dark girl's ears. The musty smell that clouded the thick air inside the stone stronghold and the heat of the anvils and forges added to the sense of urgency that was palpable in the air around them. Peter and the others looked around, a slight look of approval on his face as the High King watched the Narnians hard at work.

"It may not be what you are used to," Caspian told him, "but it is defensible". Peter and Edmund stood with Caspian, eyes surveying the setup of the stronghold, Edmund noting the piles of weapons that were stocked in many of the available spaces. Lucy walked over to a small section of the room with less weaponry and more of the armor and clothing that a few of the Narnian's had been working on. Embry watched the young girl for a moment, and walked over to join her.

"They are nowhere near as nice as yours your majesty, but they are sufficient." Embry said politely to the young girl. Although it was odd for Embry to be to addressing someone younger than her with such respect, she had heard many stories and legends about the Kings and Queens of old, and found that many of their accomplishments more than warranted such treatment. Lucy looked up at the dark haired girl,

"I think they are lovely, and I must say I rather like your dress Lady Embry. And please, call me Lucy." The Valiant Queen said kindly and Embry in return,

"Only if you call me Embry." She said with a grin before turning to look at Caspian. Out of the corner of his eye, the Telmarine prince watched as Susan walked toward a small passage that seemed to appear in the rock face. As the fair queen looked at the visible walls, viewable by the flickering torches, her expression warped into one of surprise: eyebrows drawing together, lips pursing and slightly forming an 'o' shape. She turned quickly, her clear blue eyes briefly meeting Embry's dark, inquisitive ones.

"Peter, you may want to see this," she stated an underlying hint of shock in her voice as her three other siblings, Caspian, and Embry all came to her side. Embry's jaw slackened. She had been here for nearly a week, yet had never noticed this part of the How. She must have been too preoccupied she concluded. Nonetheless, she ran her fingers lightly across the paintings and carvings on the stone walls, gently tracing some of the shapes and pictures with her fingertips. Peter grabbed a torch from its place so as to better see the spectacle before them. There was silence in the corridor for a moment, all but Caspian seeming surprised by the etchings in the walls. Embry fingered the carving that depicted two young girls astride a large golden lion, her mind a mess of thoughts and connections as she stared at the drawing. Her eyes caught on another piece of the wall, and she slowly padded over to it, placing her hand on the wall next to the depiction.

"It's us," Susan said in disbelief as the four looked at the drawings with a perceivable longingness in their gazes. Lucy sadly looked at Caspian,

"What is this place?" she questioned him, curiosity and confusion in her voice. Embry barely heard this ongoing conversation, her attention was captivated by the scene on the stone in front of her. A faun stood, cloaked in a red scarf, underneath what appeared to be a lamppost. He held above him a simple parasol, and snow was draping his surroundings. There was something about this particular scene, something familiar to the dark haired girl that regarded it with such curiosity.

"You don't know?" She heard Caspian ask the Kings and Queens of old, who simply gave him blank stares at his question. The dark haired man grabbed the torch to his left, lifting it from its holder, the metal scraping against the stone walls, and strode down the passage. The four Pevensies followed him, Susan pausing to lightly touch Embry on the shoulder to signal that they were going. Upon catching sight of the drawing that Embry had been so engrossed in, the older girl's eye's saddened. Sparing one last glance at the faun, Embry followed Susan as they moved to catch up with the rest in the passage.

Edmund had paused at the next torch on the wall, and waited for Embry and his sister to pass him before he gripped the torch firmly and removed it from the wall. Peter and Caspian leading, they walked in silence for a moment before the dark passage gave way to an even darker opening, nothing visible other than the small space illuminated by the three torches. Caspian moved off to the left, stepping down slightly, and Embry quietly moved to stand near him, not wanting to intrude on the siblings as they eyed the space curiously. Carefully, Caspian lowered the torch, and with a flick of his wrist, ignited the rest of the room. As the fire spread, the trench-like light source illuminated countless sculptures on the walls of the cavern. Fauns, Satyrs, Centaurs, and Dwarves were all depicted on the walls, and as the fire reached the center of the room, the dark haired girl's breath caught in her throat in awe.

In the center of the wall, a great lion had been painstakingly sculpted into the wall, sitting regally.

"Aslan," Embry breathed inaudibly. The four Pevensie children stepped forward to stand in a line, each roaming the space with their eyes in awe, before each rested on the massive stone ruin in front of them. The Stone Table, the very same that Aslan had been sacrificed on, killed by the White Witch on, and resurrected on – a feat that caused the table to be cleaved in two – stood in the center of the cavern. Susan and Edmund shared a look, their faces each showing the shock and awe that all in the room inevitably felt.

Lucy stepped forward, gently placing her hand on the stone table. She looked back at her elder sister,

"He must know what he's doing," She stated confidently. Susan looked at the carving on the great lion once more, her mind unsure.

"I think it's up to us know," Peter replied with a tone of finality, to which everyone glanced at the lion once more. Embry felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head to see Caspian nod his head slightly toward the main part of the How, the dark haired girl nodding in response. Leaving the Pevensies to their memories, the two quietly returned to the center of the How where Caspian located Reepicheep and Rainstone, gathering the two and Embry. The four moved to the piles of newly allocated weapons, several wagon loads and Caspian nodded his head approvingly.

"I did not have the chance to ask you before, but I see that the raid last night was successful?" He asked the three standing before him. Embry nodded. Although technically Rainstone had been in charge, she and Reep had been placed second in command for the orchestration and execution of the previous night's mission. They, along with a company of Narnians, had made their way to the River Beruna, and crossed it, emptying multiple wagons of weaponry during the night. They had completed the mission without a hitch, and upon returning in the morning, Embry had decided to go and join Caspian and the others on the scouting party.

"I may or may not have left that little message we discussed," Embry told him mischievously and Rainstone looked at her, shaking his head slightly.

"I attempted to dissuade her milord, however she insisted." The centaur pursed his lips at the now smirking teenage girl next to him. Caspian chuckled and shook his head at her antics.

"We should all know by now, Embry is not one to be talked out of doing anything," He reassured the centaur, the girl in question merely smirking wider, "Now what exactly did you do?" Embry crossed her arms across her chest, flicking her long hair over her left shoulder and shifting her weight. She shrugged,

"I carved a little message into the door of one of the wagons," She said nonchalantly examining her nails carefully.

"What did it say Embry?"

"'You were right to fear the woods –X'"

Embry glanced up at Caspian who was nodding approvingly at her. Reepicheep, who had somehow remained silent through this entire ordeal, chose this moment to speak up,

"I found it rather clever milord, and you gave her permission to do such a thing?" The mouse asked, and Embry reached out a fist to the mouse, who reluctantly bumped it with his own closed fist. The girl mentally cheered. Although it had taken some convincing, she had finally taught Reepicheep how to fist bump. Caspian smiled at the two before answering the noble mouse,

"Yes, I told her to make sure they knew who had been there, the wording however was entirely her own." Embry mock saluted her friend, before a large yawn suddenly overtook her. She stretched her shoulders before meeting the accusing look that Caspian was giving her.

"What?" She protested.

"Did you come straight out to the scouting party after the raid last night?" He asked her. Embry shrugged sheepishly.

"I wasn't tired?" She replied, her excuse lacking any sort of reassurance to the Telmarine Prince.

"Go get some sleep Embry," He told her and she looked at him offended.

"I'm fine-" She was cut off by another large yawn. Glaring at Rainstorm and Reepicheep, who were both failing at concealing their audible chuckles, she sighed in concession.

"Now Em." Caspian ordered her before his voice softened, "I'll wake you up later when it's your turn on watch." The dark haired girl nodded at him, shooting him a smile and sending a final glare to the mouse and the centaur before turning toward where her room was set up inside the How, stifling another yawn with her hand. Mid yawn, she felt her shoulder roughly bump someone else's.

"Sorry," she muttered through yet another yawn, not bothering to glance at who she had just encountered, and continuing to her room, leaving an amused Edmund watching her go. Upon reaching her room, she unbuckled her quiver, belt, and corset, not bothering to change her dress into one of the few others that she possessed, and flopped face first onto the small bed, immediately finding solace in her sleep.

 **So that was chapter 3 of War of Hearts! I am on a roll this week! Just a note though, I probably won't always update this quickly, I have just had a bit more free time lately. For all of you that actually take the time to read this, thank you so much for reading and I sincerely hope you like it. Do not hesitate to pm me if you find any mistakes (grammatical or story wise) I appreciate any constructive criticism. And please Read and Review, I love getting reviews because they really do encourage me to write! So I hope you enjoy Ch. 3 (sorry it's a tad bit shorter than Ch. 2) and I will most likely begin working on Ch. 4 either tonight or tomorrow! So thanks again for reading and please review! Also have a great day readers!**

 **-TheGirlWithTheDorkyDad**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing by my OC.**

Groaning softly to herself, Embry buried her face deeper into the pillow she held clutched in her arms, sighing softly. She would have to get up eventually. Grudgingly, she pushed herself to a sitting position and stretched her arms above her head, feeling her back creak in satisfaction, and rolled her shoulders in small circles. Frowning, the dark haired girl stood up and walked over to the small pile of her belongings that were stashed in the corner of the small stone room.

"Why didn't Caspian come wake me for watch?" She murmured to herself as she dug through the pile, forlornly looking at her soft pullover – one of the few items she had to remind herself of her home. Pushing the sweatshirt to the side, she instead opted for a simple forest green dress that brushed the floor, with sleeves that just passed her elbows. Shedding her dirty black dress and throwing it into the opposite corner of the room to be cleaned later, she slipped the clean garment over her head, shuffling around as she worked her way into the dress. It was a tad bit on the small side, but it was one of the few things they could find that suited the girl. Reaching over, Embry grabbed her leather corset, lacing it up the back to the best of her abilities. It was not as tight as the normal corsets worn by women of the time, but was more for the purpose of protection, the thick leather providing an extra layer in case of an attack. Blinking herself awake, Embry strapped on her belt of daggers, opting to leave her cumbersome quiver and longbow in her room, and ran the brush like tool given to her by a kind dwarf woman through her hair, wincing at the sound of the brush tearing through the knots.

Pulling her hair up into a ponytail as she walked toward the center of the Howe, Embry was thankful that the few hair ties she had were in one piece. Tightening her ponytail, Embry entered the central part of the How, scanning the room for Caspian or the Pevensies. Not seeing any of the people she was looking for she walked over to a faun that was fletching arrows.

"Excuse me, have you seen Caspian by any chance? He was supposed to wake me for watch." She asked the faun who smiled at her.

"Of course my lady, I believe he is outside tending to your horse. He nearly bit off the hand of the poor satyr that tried to feed him this morning." The faun told her, frowning at the mention of her horse's behavior. Embry shook her head before pausing, replaying the faun's words in her head.

"Did you say this morning?" She asked him carefully, and the faun nodded slowly. Embry groaned aloud, "That bastard didn't wake me up for watch. Thank you very much." She smiled at the faun who returned the gesture and went back to his work. Embry spun on her heel and stalked off up the ramp toward where her horse was stabled. As she approached, fuming and ready to give her friend a stern talking to, she was able to hear the prince's exasperated voice coming from the makeshift paddock. The air was heavy with mist, making any sort of clear visibility more difficult.

"Why won't you just eat?" Caspian's thick Spanish accent came from the edge of the paddock. "I do not understand why you are being so difficult…" He muttered and Brego snorted, almost seeming proud of himself based on the way that he was carrying himself, nose pointed upward. Embry chuckled at her horse, whose ears perked at the sound. The buckskin horse, looked over his shoulder to see his rider and neighed happily, trotting over to her as she let herself into the paddock. He nosed her affectionately and then sent what can best be described as a glare at Caspian who stood with a bewildered expression on his face. "I give up!" he exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. Embry patted her horse on the nose and walked over to the dark haired prince.

"I've got a bone to pick with you Caspian," She stated accusingly, pointing at him with her index finger. "Why didn't you wake me for watch? You know how much I hate being useless." Caspian looked at her guiltily.

"You needed your sleep Embry, you were tired and had done more than enough to help. I apologize for not waking you, but I will not apologize for putting your wellbeing first." He responded meeting her gaze evenly. Embry's expression softened.

"Thanks Cas," She smiled at him, clapping him on the shoulder affectionately. He smiled at her, returning the gesture before throwing his arm over her shoulder. The two were interrupted by Brego's loud whinny. Her steed was looking at the two of them with a scandalized expression, his mouth full of his breakfast. The two laughed and Embry shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes.

"What is wrong with your horse?" Caspian asked her. The dark haired girl merely shook her head.

"I would tell you if I knew," She chuckled. The two walked back to the How talking and laughing in a way that you would see siblings do. Well siblings that got along. Embry waved at Windmane as the two reached the ramp into the How, the centauress waving back. Once inside the dark confines of the How, Embry shrugged off Caspian's arm, reaching up to tighten her ponytail again. "I'm going to go relieve whoever is on watch, I believe my shift is long overdue," she explained to him. The dark haired prince nodded. Mock saluting her friend, earning a chuckle from Caspian, the dark haired girl turned and walked off toward where the access to the higher parts of the How were located. Smiling after the girl, he sensed a presence beside him and a glance told him that it was none other than King Edmund.

"King Edmund," Caspian greeted politely, inclining his head respectfully. Edmund held up a hand,

"Please just Edmund," he requested, to which Caspian nodded.

"To what do I owe the pleasure Edmund?"

"What is her story?" the dark haired king asked Caspian, taking him aback. That had not been what he was expecting. Reaching up to rub the back of his neck uncomfortably, Caspian waited a moment before responding.

"It is not my place to tell, you would be better off asking her yourself if you really wish to know," the prince gestured toward where Embry had disappeared. Edmund stared after her thoughtfully before making a decision.

"Thank you," Edmund nodded at the prince in a similar token of respect before moving after the dark haired girl, one hand on his sheathed sword at his hip out of reflex, the weapon smacking his leg with every step. Caspian watched the king go before smiling softly to himself and returning to his duties, specifically finding the High King.

Embry sat on a rock on an upper ledge of the How, having relieved a fair haired faun from his duties, not missing the bandage on his hand nor the dirty look he sent toward her horse's stable. She sat peacefully, scanning the clearing, her eyes searching the dense woods for any sign of the Telmarines. The dark haired girl reached up and pulled out her hair tie, running a hand through her hair as it fell around her shoulders. The sound of scuffling on the rocks to her left alerted the girl that she had company, and upon looking, she was surprised to see that King Edmund had joined her on the ledge-like space.

"Your Majesty," She greeted him, not taking her gray eyes off of the tree line. She felt him sit down next to her, leaning his back on the outer stone wall of the How. They sat in silence for a while, neither a word, both enjoying the misty morning air.

"I know you're not from Narnia," his accented voice said suddenly, making Embry's heart stop. She quickly collected herself, and from the corner of her eye, she could see the dark haired boy watching her carefully, his warm brown eyes surveying her for any sign that she was affected by what he had said.

"I have no idea what you are talking about sire," she replied in a clipped tone, refusing to meet his eyes. Edmund narrowed his eyes at the girl next to him.

"Who are you? I mean who are you really and where are you from?" He asked her, never breaking his gaze as he watched her every move carefully. Until he knew where she was from and who she really was, this girl could be a threat. Embry sighed, shoulders visibly dropping. She looked down at her hands as she brought them to clasp together in her lap, her hair falling in front of her face to form a curtain.

"I already told you, my name is Embry Black your majesty." She paused for a moment, hesitating "I'm from Loveland, Ohio. In America. So I suppose you guessed correctly, I am not Narnian. Well not by birth anyway, but I still feel a sense of belonging… I tend to ramble sometimes, my apologies your majesty."

"Edmund," The boy beside her said suddenly. Embry peered up at him from beneath the curtain of long dark hair that separated the two.

"Sorry?"

"It's just Edmund."

Embry smiled to herself, before looking back up at the tree-line. The two sat in comfortable silence for another moment before Embry cleared her throat and spoke once more.

"How did you know?" The dark haired girl asked and bit her lip, waiting for his reply. Edmund smirked glancing at the girl with a look that Embry couldn't quite decipher.

"You shook my hand," He replied looking at her as she furrowed her eyebrows at his statement. The dark haired king chuckled at her lost expression, "Narnian's don't shake hands love." Embry raised an eyebrow chuckling at his statement.

"Damn." The girl swore aloud, Edmund rolling his eyes at her. The two sat in silence for a few more minutes, each of their minds racing.

"How did you get here?" The Just King asked her, his tone neither overly curious nor intimidating, but laced with a tone that made the girl next to him shudder slightly. Embry sat back, a piece of rock digging into her shoulder blade as she drew her knees to her chest. Still looking at the clearing she spoke,

"If we are being completely honest, I have no idea. One minute I was working on my Calculus assignment, I fell asleep on my textbook and then I woke up in the middle of the forest. Ironhoof, Glenstorm's son, is the one that originally found me, his father joined him soon after. That's all I can tell you really…" She trailed off glancing at Edmund to find him looking at her with dark eyes filled with intensity..

"So you haven't been here that long at all have you?" He asked her quietly. Embry bit her lip once more and shook her head.

"I got here right after Cas blew the horn. So a few weeks maybe?" She answered him. Looking across the clearing, the nagging thoughts that resided in the back of her head finally got the better of her and taking a deep breath, Embry spoke again, "What was your home like? I know you aren't from Narnia originally, and you sound pretty British to me so I can only assume that you are from England," she smiled as he chuckled at her.

"Finchley, actually," He corrected her and she rolled her eyes at him, "England is alright, we were actually on our way back to school when we came back. What about you? What is it like to live in America?"

"It's great, I mean I like it. It's home really. What about your parents? Do they know where you all disappear to?" She teased him lightly, but was secretly curious as to what her own parents would think of her disappearance. Edmund looked down at his hands.

"Time doesn't really pass when you're in Narnia. We were here for 15 years the first time, then when we went back we were the exact same age as we had been when we got here. It's only been a year and a half for us, but centuries here. As for my parents, mum stays home really and dad's fighting in the war." The dark haired boy told her. Embry's nodded in understanding.

"My best friend's older brother enlisted right out of High School. Even though Kyle wasn't biologically related to me, we grew up together so when he left it was like I was losing my brother. He's been stationed in Afghanistan for the past year." Embry smiled to herself as she thought of Kyle and some of the fun memories they had growing up, "What about your dad, where's he stationed?" Edmund frowned to himself.

"He's fighting on the Easter front, against the Germans…" Edmund mumbled, more to himself than to the girl next to him. Embry froze, peering at the dark haired boy next to her out of the corner of her eye in disbelief and confusion.

"Edmund," Embry said slowly, the dark haired boy turning to look at her as she spoke. "What year is it? Back home." Edmund surveyed her for a moment before answering.

"1942"

"Oh my god, no fucking way." She muttered to herself before groaning and throwing her head back against the stone, wincing when it met her skull with a thump, "You've got to be kidding me…" She sat there for a moment, then burst out laughing. Edmund eyed her carefully, as she laughed hysterically, tears welling in her eyes. After a few minutes, Embry wiped the tears from her eyes, and upon seeing Edmund's stoic face, sobered completely. "You're not joking are you?" She asked him quietly.

"Why would I be?" Edmund asked her in an equally soft tone.

"Because where I came from, its 2016."

 **Hey everybody! So that's the end of Ch. 4 of War of Hearts and I hope you enjoyed the little bit of Edmry I put in there (Idk about the ship name I just need one for the time being). Also, I used the year 1942 because they were back in England for about a year and a half, and because the first book took place in what I considered spring/summer of the year 1940, a year and a half later would mean that it would be the fall of the year 1942. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I tried to put in a bit more character dynamics so that you all could see how she interacted with different characters and get a better feel for her personality. Also, I'm almost done with Chapter 5 as well so expect that fairly soon! Please tell me what you think, Read and Review! Thanks for reading!**

 **-TheGirlWithTheDorkyDad**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC.**

Edmund stared at the girl in front of him in disbelief, his dark eyes meeting her gray ones, both showing how much shock they were actually feeling. The dark haired king didn't say anything for a moment, the shock of her being from the future causing him to struggle to find words,

"But how?" He asked her. Embry shrugged.

"I haven't the slightest idea," The two returned to their comfortable silence, each gazing across the clearing before the How lost in their thoughts. Edmund unconsciously shifted closer to Embry, resting his weight on his right hand, his shoulders leaning against the cool stone behind him. Embry, if she noticed his movement, did not say anything. Their shoulders millimeters from touching, the two sat in silence for a few more moments.

"The war," The dark haired boy asked her quietly, "who wins?" Embry pursed her lips, shuffling her body so that their shoulders were touching, if only to ease the mind of the boy next to her.

"The good guys," she replied simply, looking at the boy next to her out of the corner of her eye. It was an interesting sight to see, two human teenagers, sitting on a ledge outside of a large stone temple, each looking out across the plains that were spread out in front of the How, lost in their own thoughts, shoulders pressed against one another to provide a small amount of comfort to help ease the troubled mind of person sitting next to them.

As she stared at the tree-line, Embry once again became lost in her memories, the tendrils of past events wrapping around her focus and drawing her into her own mind as she further contemplated why she was in Narnia in the first place.

 _The Dancing Lawn was an indescribable sight. A simple small clearing located deep in the woods, cosmetically it was not a stand out. It was the event occurring in the clearing that made the lawn so incredible. Narnians littered the rocks, outcroppings, trees and overhangs surrounding the space. Embry and Caspian were both in such states of awe and disbelief that they could do little else but stare in wonder at the Satyrs, Fauns, Minotaurs, Dwarves, Centaurs, and other Narnian peoples perched on every available surface. The sky had long since turned dark, and the clearing was illuminated only by the eerie glow of the moon, the cold light bathing the forest floor. Caspian gripped the horn in his hand, the ivory surface reflecting the moonlight, and stepped into the center of the lawn. Embry glanced around, not quite sure where to go and quickly padded over to where Windmane was standing, a little ways from Glenstorm and his sons._

 _Upon entering the center of the space, the Narnians had begun to shout, hooting and cursing the Telmarine people. The anger of the creatures in the clearing was so thick it could have been cut with a knife, the distrust radiating from each body that was near her. Embry moved to sit on a small boulder, effectively concealing her from the majority of those who had gathered. Those who could see her paid her little attention, for they were focused with narrowed eyes on the shaggy haired prince that stood in the center of the crowd. The rowdy Narnians surrounding her made Embry uneasy, not only due to their emotional state but due to the fact that many were considerably larger than herself. In particular, the large bull like creature that stood slightly to her left created a bubble of fear in the girl. It was at least double, if not triple her size, and unlike the centaurs she had met, it did not seem to have the same soothing disposition._

 _Angry cries erupted from the gathered Narnians and Embry winced at the harsh words._

 _"Kill him!" One angry centaur shouted. Embry grimaced, perhaps not all centaurs were as levelheaded as Glenstorm and his family._

 _"Telmarine!" came a call from an enraged faun. Another faun was quick to follow with a shout of,_

 _"Liar!"_

 _"Murderer!"_

 _Nikabrik stepped forward, the angry black haired dwarf seething as he pointed a thick finger accusingly at the prince._

 _"All this horn proves is that they've stolen yet another thing from us!" He angrily declared to the Narnians._

 _"I didn't steal anything," Caspian responded levelly, his dark eyes trained on the dwarf, a flicker of determination appearing in his gaze. The terrifyingly large Minotaur chose this moment to speak up,_

 _"Didn't steal anything?" He bellowed in disbelief, "Shall we list the things the Telmarines have taken?" His ears flicking and his large hoof brandishing his crude axe toward the prince creating a rather terrifying spectacle. The Narnians cheered in agreement. To Embry's surprise, Windmane made the first discernable contribution, shouting,_

 _"Our homes!" Embry glanced around uncomfortably, looking for an escape route if this whole thing went south. Tuning out some of the cries of the Narnians, she located a possible escape route a little off to the side of a dwarf, zeroing in on the space. The dark haired girl was so engaged in planning an escape route, she nearly missed Caspian's response._

 _"You would hold me accountable for all of the crimes of my people?" He asked, looking around at all of the creatures around him._

 _"Accountable…" Nikabrik walked toward Caspian, his hand on the dagger at his side, "and punishable. Embry eyed the exchange with newfound interest, resting her back against the stone surface behind her and folding her arms across her chest. The dark haired girl couldn't help but smirk when Reepicheep entered the conversation._

 _"Ha! That is rich coming from you, dwarf." Reep bounded forward, drawing his sword as he moved toward the pair. "Or have you forgotten that it was your people who fought alongside the White Witch?" He continued, brandishing his sword accusingly at the sneering dwarf. Nikabrik flicked the sword away._

 _"And I'd gladly do it again, if it would rid us of these barbarians!" He snarled, gesturing to Caspian._

 _"Then it's lucky that it is not in your power to bring her back," Trufflehunter stated, joining the center of the crowd, "Or are you suggesting that we ask this boy to go against Aslan now?" The badger's statement elicited a strong reaction from the gathered Narnians, and Embry smiled approvingly at the badger. Caspian looked around as the crowd vivaciously supported the great lion. "Some of you may have forgotten, but we badgers remember well…" Trufflehunter continued, addressing the gathered creatures, "that Narnia was never right except when a Son of Adam was king, and a Daughter of Eve was queen." Embry's head shot up at the last few words of the badger's sentence, and was surprised to meet Trufflehunter's steady gaze._

 _"He's a Telmarine!" Nikabrik scoffed, "Why would we want him as our king?" The black dwarf had chosen to ignore the latter part of his friend's statement, and glared at the young man in front of him. Narnians shouted their support and Embry rolled her eyes at the rowdy crowd._

 _"Let the man talk!" She shouted commandingly, and surprisingly the sound almost immediately quieted. The dark haired girl's eyes widened considerably and she shrunk down in an effort to conceal herself from the prying eyes that were looking for the owner of the voice._

 _"Because I can help you," Caspian stated with a tone of sincerity, "Beyond these woods, I am a prince." He looked around at the gathered Narnians. "The Telmarine throne is rightfully mine! Help me claim it, and I can bring peace between us." Embry caught movement out of the corner of her eye, watching with peaked interest as Glenstorm strode forward._

 _"It is true. The time is ripe." He stated, looking at his people. "I watch the skies, for it is mine to watch as it is yours to remember, badger." Slowly walking to stand in front of the few in the center of the lawn, he stopped and looked at them. "Tarva, the lord of victory, and Alambil, the lady of peace, have come together in the high heavens. And now here, a Son of Adam has come forth to offer us back our freedom." He paused a moment, glancing at Embry who was watching him carefully. He nodded, almost imperceptibly at Trufflehunter, "and a Daughter of Eve has appeared from the same lands as the Kings and Queens of old." Another uproar sounded throughout the clearing and Embry nearly choked on the air around her. Windmane stepped to the side to reveal the startled girl to the rest of the Narnians who quieted upon seeing her._

 _"It has long been foretold that another Daughter of Eve would arrive in Narnia, or have many of you forgotten the prophecy?" Trufflehunter looked directly at Embry, who gave him a bewildered look. " **When**_ _ **a Daughter of Eve arrives once more, an end shall come to an age long storm, no longer a time of fear and death."**_ _Murmurs of shock rippled through the crowd like a pebble that was dropped in a stream. Embry stared at the badger, contemplating his words in her mind, mulling them over. It was silent for a moment before she spoke._

 _"Well," she stood up, "that doesn't really rhyme." Cautiously approaching the center of the Dancing Lawn, she cast a fearful glance at the Narnians around her who were all eyeing her with various expressions on their faces. "What does that even mean Trufflehunter?" She asked the badger who bowed respectfully to the girl, who in response made a face. "Please, don't bow to me. That's weird." The badger looked at her with what she could only assume to be a raised eyebrow._

 _"It means that you bring with you an end to this era of oppression," Embry balked at his words, looking at Glenstorm in disbelief. The centaur slowly nodded his head._

 _"Look, I'm not who you all think I am. I'm just a high school student from Ohio, I have no experience in fighting or prophecies. How am I supposed to end this?" She whispered frantically to the badger, crouching to be at eye level with the creature._

 _"That is for you to discover my dear. All that I know is that Aslan chose you for a reason," The badger consoled Embry. Embry glanced up at Caspian who nodded his support and took a step back so that she might address the Narnians. Shaking slightly, Embry squared her shoulders and stood at her full height._

 _"I do not know the entire extent of what has been done to all of you, but I do know that it was unjust and it is time for the oppression of Narnia to come to an end. I may not know all of what I need to know to help you all, but if I am indeed the Daughter of Eve in the prophecy, I wish that you all know I will do everything in my power to help you take back your home, for it is my home now too." The dark haired girl spoke clearly, looking at each Narnian with the same determined gaze. The clearing rang with cheers and support, causing Embry to smile. She looked over her shoulder at Caspian, nodding for him to resume his speech, and walked to stand next to Glenstorm, who gave her a slight nod of approval. A squirrel began to speak to Caspian as Glenstorm put his hand on the young girl's shoulder._

 _"You did well young one," he praised her. Embry let out a breath she did not know she had been holding in. She reached across chest and patted the centaurs hand._

 _"Thanks," she murmured back, turning her attention back to Caspian and his declaration._

 _"Two days ago," Caspian was saying in response to the squirrel's question, "I didn't believe in the existence of talking animals, or dwarves, or centaurs." he pointed to each of the mentioned Narnians. "Yet here you are, in strength and numbers that we Telmarines could never have imagined." He held up the ivory horn in his hand, "Whether this horn is magic or not, it brought us together. And together, we have a chance to take back what is ours." He finished, looking directly at Embry and Glenstorm._

 _"You know where I stand, your majesty," Embry said to the dark haired man, respectfully dipping her head to him. Glenstorm stepped forward._

 _"If you will lead us, then my sons and I," he drew his sword and held it upright, both hands firmly grasping the hilt, "offer you our swords." At that, Ironhoof, Rainstone, and Suncloud all drew their swords. In a truly inspiring sight, Embry looked around her to see each Narnian holding up their weapon with a look of fierce determination in their eyes. The sounds of weapons being drawn echoed amongst the rocks and although she had no weapon on her person, Embry knew that she too would have raised it if she had one._

 _"And we offer you our lives, unreservedly." Reepicheep bowed to Caspian._

 _"Miraz's army will not be far behind us, sire." Trufflehunter pointed out, forever the voice of reason in the situation at hand._

 _"If we are to be ready for them, we need to hurry to find soldiers and weapons." Caspian said loudly for all to hear. Then softer to himself, "I am sure they will be here soon." Embry walked up to Caspian._

 _"Your majesty," she curtsied as best she could in jeans and a pullover before a hand on her shoulder stopped her._

 _"Please, I grew up on stories of Narnia, and have heard the prophecy of which your arrival was foretold. You have no need to bow to me." Embry smiled at the prince's statement._

 _"I know you will probably be pretty busy considering you will be running an army and all, but would you be willing to help train me? If we are going to war, I need to know how to fight." Embry asked the man. Caspian regarded her unsurely. "If you don't want to train me simply because I'm a chick, then you might want to think again," she narrowed her eyes at the Telmarine. Caspian's eyes widened._

 _"No of course not milady, I would be happy to train you." He replied quickly, but the dark haired girl caught a hint of nervousness in his expression, to which Embry smirked. The two looked up as Glenstorm approached, his footfalls barely audible on the soft sod._

 _"Come my lieges, we go to Aslan's How," With a swish of his tail, the centaur turned and the two young humans followed, Narnians filing in behind them as they walked._

"Do you see that?" Edmund's voice brought Embry out of her thoughts and she turned to look at him. He was staring intently at a spot along the tree line, heavily shrouded by mist. The dark haired girl narrowed her eyes, squinting to get a better look. For a moment she saw nothing, then a slight glint of metal caught her eye, and she was able to decipher the shape of a Telmarine soldier astride a bay horse. Swearing under her breath, she stood up, watching the soldier turn his horse and gallop into the woods.

"A scout," she said to the boy who had risen to stand next to her, "We need to tell the others right away." Edmund nodded and moved to re-enter the How when Embry's hand grabbed his wrist securely. The dark haired king turned to look at the dark haired girl next to him, her gray eyes looking at him intently. "Don't tell anyone, where I'm from." Edmund glanced down at his wrist then back to the girl in front of him, however she made no move to release him.

"And if I do?" He asked her, his brown eyes flickering darkly. Embry narrowed her eyes at the boy in front of her stepping so that the two were in such a close proximity that to a bystander, the two could have been mistaken as lovers.

"I don't think you really want to know the answer to that question, do you Edmund?" The girl said lowly, the two teenagers never breaking eye contact. Edmund narrowed his eyes at the girl in front of him as he considered her request.

"I won't." Embry's shoulders heaved forward visibly as she let out the tense breath that she had unconsciously been holding. Her fingers released the Just King's wrist and the girl moved toward the enterance toward the How when she was stopped by an arm gripping her bicep. "Don't." Edmund spoke darkly with a clenched jaw, "Threaten me again." Embry smirked at the dark haired boy.

"Sorry Ed, I don't make promises I can't keep." Jerking her arm from his grip, Embry went into the How, Edmund staring after her.

 **So that's Chapter 5! I hope you all enjoy it, I originally had the content from 4 and 5 structured differently so I had written the entire flashback scene and then decided that I wanted to lay out the chapters differently. So I hope you like the little bit of Edmry in this one as well and now we know a bit more as to why Embry is here in the first place. So please Read and Review and tell me what you think! Hopefully I can start working on the next chapter fairly soon but in the meantime I would love to hear what you all think so far! Thanks for reading!**

 **-TheGirlWithTheDorkyDad**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to The Chronicles of Narnia franchise.**

As she walked away, Embry's mind was a mess of spinning gears, each moving at an impossibly fast rate. It was as though her mind was going into overdrive. Biting her lip, the dark haired girl climbed down the ladder that led to the watch post of the How, and stopped at the bottom of the rickety wooden structure. Breathing heavily she gripped the final rung of the ladder, her knuckles turning white in the process as she attempted to wrap her head around the previous moments events. What was is about the dark haired king that made her open up so easily? She was intrigued by him, by his silent yet watchful personality, by his dark nature, by his witty comments.

She had never understood men, even at home she had never been one to go on many dates, always preferring to stay at home with her books, movies, and pillows. She wasn't a partier like her friends, and would rather be curled up in a corner of the library than on the dance floor at a post-football game party. So why this boy? What was it about him that made her so vulnerable? So intrigued? Embry shook her head, chuckling at her own naivety. Whatever it was, she couldn't bother with it now, there were more pressing matters at hand, such as helping the Narnian's regain their home.

Inhaling deeply, Embry loosened her grip on the wooden ladder and closed her eyes as she exhaled. Squaring her shoulders, the dark haired girl turned from the ladder and strode toward the heart of the How, unaware that Edmund stood in the shadows above her watching her with a dark gaze. There was something about this girl that he couldn't quite pin point. Why was she here? Why did she want to keep her true home a secret? Were her threats empty? For the Just King, something was off about this girl, and although the two had shared an amiable moment or two, he vowed to find out the truth about why she was here, and the secret that he knew she was hiding. He knew it was something, and he wouldn't stop until he found out what it was. Watching her walk away, Edmund leaned up against the stone wall, crossing his arms across his chest, wondering how she had managed to evoke such _soft_ feelings from him. Why did he care so much about this strange girl? Pushing himself off of the stone wall, he went down the ladder and followed the curious dark haired girl to the center of the How in search of his brother.

Embry looked around the How, her grey eyes scanning each corner, each flicker of shadows, and each forge for any sign of Caspian or Peter. Around her, Narnians worked furiously. Fauns carried wicker baskets filled to the brim with weaponry, coal, leather, or wood, a few such creatures narrowly missing colliding with the girl as she stood looking around the cavern. At the make-shift forges, dwarves, minotaurs, satyrs and other such creatures sat with anvils, hammers and mallets, shaping pieces of glowing molten steel into sharp tipped swords, deadly arrow tips, massive war axes, scythes, maces, and a variety of other weaponry, basing many of the designs off of the stolen Telmarine contraband that was piled in the corners along with the hand forges weapons. The heat from the forges pulsated throughout the room, and the stench of metal and sweat clouded the already thick air in the underground stronghold. The noise from the steadily working Narnians made it nearly impossible for the dark haired girl to hear anything other than the beating of her own heart, it's frantic pace gradually slowing from its previous erratic state moments before.

Eyes surveying the How, Embry narrowed her eyes as she locked on to the Gentle Queen, who stood next to the flustered faun from earlier who was still diligently fletching arrows. The corner of her lip twitched at the red-faced faun who was obviously not accustomed to being addressed by royalty, the dark haired Queen avidly discussing archery with him, oblivious to his profound blush. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Embry walked over to the pair, nodding at the two before turning to Susan.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak to you your majesty," Embry stated, unable to hide the smirk from her face as the poor faun sighed visibly in relief. One thing that Embry had learned is that while they were incredibly noble and loyal, fauns were easily flustered if caught off guard, and although she felt bad for the creature, she couldn't help but find the entire situation rather amusing. Susan nodded at the grey eyed girl.

"Till next time then Nausus," the older girl said kindly and the faun blushed deeper if that was even possible.

"It was an honor your majesty," The faun replied, his voice shaking ever so slightly at being addressed by the fabled Queen Susan the Gentle. Susan smiled at the faun before turning back to Embry.

"Shall we go somewhere a bit more private?" She asked the other girl, who nodded in response, leading the two over to a more secluded part of the cavern. "Now," Susan said, "what did you need to speak to me about Embry?" Embry glanced at the entrance to the passage that led to the overwatch.

"I was on watch your majesty, and I spotted a Telmarine scout at the edge of the woods. It was a bit difficult to see him at first due to the mist and fog, but it was definitely a Telmarine, and I can't think of any reason why a Telmarine would be this deep in the forest if he was not a scout." Embry informed the blue-eyed girl who pursed her lips in thought. Letting out a huff she smiled slightly at Embry.

"Call me Susan please, considering you are the only other human girl here besides Lucy and myself, I would very much like it if we were not so formal in our conversations." Embry smiled back at the girl, nodding in agreement. Susan sighed before continuing, straightening her back as she spoke, "As for the Telmarine, we will have to inform the others and decide on a course of action. Such a decision was inevitable anyway, but it seems that Miraz intends to force our hand." As she spoke, Embry couldn't help but notice the wisdom in the girl's tone. It was then that she could see the young woman in front of her was not just a teenager from London, but an aged woman who had seen the horrors of war, and had run a country for over a decade. Susan was not just a pretty face, but in that moment Embry could see the hidden knowledge and experience that lay just below the surface. "I don't suppose you would have any idea as to where Caspian or Peter are do you?" Susan asked the girl in front of her. Embry frowned for a moment before an idea came to her mind.

"You know what, I might have one idea," The dark haired girl said smirking slightly, "I'll be back in just a moment, I need to grab something from my room." She told Susan before turning on her heel and making her way to her room. Grabbing her quiver, bow and knives, she slipped them on, tightening the straps securely across her torso, the two crossing in the center of her chest, right between her breasts.

Weaving her hair into a quick side braid as she walked back to where Susan was standing, she beckoned the older girl with a movement of her head, indicating toward the ramp that led outside. As the two strode up the ramp, Embry wrapped the rubber hair tie around the slim end of her braid, flicking it over her shoulder as the two emerged into the clearing. The air was fresh, a stark contrast to the suffocating conditions inside the How, and the mist and fog was beginning to clear as the sun rose further in the sky. A slight breeze fluttered through the trees, and Embry smiled slightly upon hearing several birds singing in the trees. The silent, tranquil environment was shattered however, by the sound of swords clashing, the ring of metal on metal echoing throughout the clearing and sending a jolt through both of the girls.

"I do hope Peter hasn't gotten in a fight again," Susan mumbled with an exasperated sigh as the girls followed the sound of the swords. Embry raised an eyebrow at the girl beside her.

"Again?" She asked teasingly, although a part of her was genuinely interested in knowing what the Gentle Queen meant by her statement. Susan rolled her eyes.

"Since we got back from Narnia, "She paused, looking at Embry, "the first time," she clarified, "he's been picking fights left and right. I honestly don't know what's gotten into him…" the blue-eyed girl trailed off, looking at the grass below their feet.

"He's probably just trying to adjust," Embry suggested, surprising the girl beside her as well as herself.

"How do you mean?" Susan questioned, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion at her companion's statement.

"Well, I mean he went from being the High King of somewhere and being like, super respected to being an average school kid. That's probably done wonders for his self-esteem, and it probably infuriates him that people are treating him like a kid after over a decade of being the ruler of a country. And I suppose he's just decided that fighting is his way to cope, trying to gain back the respect and admiration that he lost when you guys went back." Embry shrugged, not meeting the dumbfounded stare from the girl next to her. Kicking at a rock with her toe, Embry smirked at the girl next to her, "Or he's just a teenage boy that want to fight." Embry chuckled at Susan's look of disapproval, which quickly morphed into a smile as the other girl laughed along with her. Susan shook her head in amusement at the other girl's antics. Looking ahead of them, the two girls could see that at the moment, Peter was sparring with a satyr, swords whirling as the two participated in the deadly dance. Around them, Embry could see Caspian, Trumpkin, Reep and several other Narnians. _A rather large crowd_ she noted to herself, counting at least 30 Narnians surrounding the dueling pair. No doubt this was a training session for the army. Embry flinched as Peter struck the Satyr with the hilt of his sword, knocking his opponent's blade out of his hand and pointing at the Satyr's throat with the tip of his sword. No doubt they needed it, after all, most of the Narnians had been in hiding their whole lives, and while Caspian had done a good job of teaching them what he could so far, he and Glenstorm could only do so much. It simply came down to the fact that they had not had much time, between locating troops, forging weaponry, and allocating resources such as food and timber.

Peter lowered his sword, sheathing it and reaching out his hand to help the Satyr off the ground, nodding at him as he did so. It was then that he noticed the two girls, walking over to them, brushing his dirty-blonde hair away from his sweaty forehead. As he approached, Embry noticed that he was practically drenched in sweat, and she wondered how long they had been at this, and how she had not noticed. How long had she stood at the bottom of the ladder? Wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers, Peter reached the girls.

"Susan, Embry, what can I do for you two?" Peter asked politely, and Embry narrowed her eyes, a plan forming in her mind. Susan opened her mouth to speak, but Embry beat her to it.

"Actually, I came out here to practice myself," Embry smirked at the disbelieving look Susan gave her, before striding past a slightly confused Peter to stand by Caspian. The dark haired prince smiled at her.

"I see you've come to practice," he greeted her. Embry rolled her eyes, causing Caspian to chuckle at her, "You and I both know that while you have progressed rather quickly, you need practice. At least I am not making you try using a sword again." He looked pointedly at Embry who grinned sheepishly. That particular lesson had ended with Caspian needing to have his arm stitched up from a rather nasty gash his student had inflicted, and Embry hobbling along with him as she had dropped her sword on her foot. Thankfully it had been sheathed, but those buggers were heavy! Needless to say, her toes were purple for the next week.

"Okay I see your point, but even you know that I'm not bad with my knives," she pointed out and he conceded.

"True, but that doesn't mean you do not need more practice. Now come one," Caspian gestured to the spot where Peter and the Satyr had previously been sparring. Embry grinned and shed her bow and quiver, removing her two long daggers from their holders on her quiver and giving them each an experimental twirl, something she had convinced Caspian to teach her. The feeling of the leather-wrapped hilts grasped firmly in her palms gave the girl a sense of stability, the grip becoming a comforting normality that she had begun to lack in this strange new world. Rolling her shoulder blades in small circles, first forward and then back, Embry loosened her body, chastising herself for choosing to wear a dress. While she had no qualms about wearing the floor length garments, when fighting she preferred the movability that her jeans and pants offered her. Looking around her at the crowd of Narnians, all watching her with peaked interest, the dark haired girl couldn't help but notice the curious looks she was getting from Peter and Susan. Her eye caught on a tall, dark haired figure that stood at the back of the crowd, arms folded across his chest, never taking his eyes off of the girl. An involuntary shiver went through her at the intensity of his gaze, causing the dark haired king to smirk from his position at the back.

Embry glanced around at the Narnians, awaiting her opponent to step forward and challenge her, narrowing her eyes as a faun stepped forward. He did not appear much older than herself, but she knew that he was probably decades older than her, his sandy blonde hair and matching goatee contrasting his tanned skin and dark eyes. Stepping forward, the faun drew his sword, a cocky smirk creeping its way onto his face at the howls of encouragement from the Narnians around him. Embry narrowed her eyes further, the gray barely visible through the threatening slits as she surveyed her opponent. She knew that few other than Caspian, Trufflehunter and Nikabrik knew of her true skills with her blades, them being the only three outside of Glenstorm and his family that had ever been present for her training sessions. This faun probably assumed she had little to no skill with the blades she held in her hands.

Watching the faun carefully as they circled each other, she grasped one of her knives firmly, holding it out in front of her parallel to the ground, the other held behind her in the same fashion as her body was angled in a sideways manner. The dark haired girl's shoulders were hunched forward slightly, something her mother would most definitely not approve of, and she narrowed her eyes as the faun's right leg twitched slightly. She waited. Sure enough, the faun lunged forward, slicing his sword in a downward manner. Embry however, was anticipating the attack and brought her daggers up to form an X, the faun's blade landing squarely in the center of the two. Seeing the flicker of shock in the faun's eyes, Embry smirked at him before pushing her arms up, and ultimately her opponent's sword as the faun stumbled back slightly.

Not wasting any time, Embry swung the blade in her right hand at the faun, her opponent barely moving out of the way in time as she swung the matching blade in her left hand. Regaining his bearings, the faun re-engaged the dark haired girls, the distinct sound of metal meeting metal ringing loudly through the clearing. The Narnians were for the most part completely engrossed in the fight, Caspian being one of the few with an uncharacteristic smirk on his face as he watched his friend. The two parried back and forth, neither giving an inch, each in a state of complete and utter focus as the blades flashed. What it came down to however, was speed. Embry with her two, considerably lighter weapons was able to move much quicker than the faun, her lighter frame also working in her favor. Seeing a break in the faun's advances, Embry took her chance, arcing her blades as she lunged, ducking from his incoming sweep and extending her leg out to bring his feet out from under him. With a yelp, the faun stumbled to the ground, and Embry swiftly placed one knee on the wrist of the hand still grasping his sword, and her other on the center of his chest, Her one blade was hovering horizontally across the faun's throat, his Adams apple nearly grazing it as he gulped nervously, and her other knife was being held in front of her face, prepared to strike if needed.

The Narnians around them stood in silence for a moment before breaking into wild cheers. Embry grinned and shifted her weight off of the faun, holding both of her daggers in her right hand as she extended her left to help the disgruntled faun off of the ground. She curtsied to the faun.

"You were a worthy opponent," she told him politely, extending her still free hand to shake the faun's hand. He eyed it strangely for a moment and Embry rolled her eyes. Narnians still knew nothing of regular customs, "You shake it," she whispered to the obviously confused faun, "It's kind of like a well done, good fight, good sportsmanship kind of thing." The faun nodded, gripping her hand with his own and she firmly shook it up and down, their sweaty palms slipping slightly. "What's your name?" the girl asked politely.

"Ardnus," The faun replied in a surprisingly deep voice. Embry smiled at the faun, reaching up to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

"Nice to meet you Ardnus," She nodded at the faun before turning and walking back over to a grinning Caspian, "How'd I do boss?" She asked him as he handed her back her quiver, the dark haired girl sliding it back into place on her back.

"I'll admit, I had my reservations," Caspian said teasingly. Embry looked up at him in mock indignation, placing both hands dramatically across her heart.

"You wound me," She stated theatrically and Caspian chuckled at her actions. Embry grinned at him and fastened the buckles of her quiver snugly, reaching down to grab her discarded knives and slipping them back into their designated slots on her back. Feeling a soft tap on her shoulder, Embry turned to see Susan standing behind her.

"That was an impressive fight Embry," The blue-eyed girl complimented said girl before continuing, "But we did come here for a reason." Embry's smile flickered slightly, before she pursed her lips and nodded tightly. The Gentle Queen was right, there had been a fairly serious reason they had come out here to begin with. Seeing Caspian's confused expression, Embry motioned for him to follow her as she walked over to Peter, grabbing the High King's arm and pulling him a few feet before releasing his arm and hoping that he got the message. The 4 walked out of hearing range of the gathered Narnians, who had become engaged in watching a Satyr and a dwarf spar, before Embry stopped and turned to the 3 waiting royals.

"I was on watch earlier, and witnessed a Telmarine soldier on horseback at the edge of the woods. I would have seen him earlier, but the fog was thick this morning. Presumably, he was a scout considering that there would be no other reason that a Telmarine soldier would venture this far into the woods." Embry explained for the second time that day, stiffening slightly as Edmund walked over to join the small group. Peter grimaced and nodded in acknowledgement.

"We need to call a meeting then," The blonde-haired king turned to Caspian who clenched his jaw, a sign that he was not thrilled with Peter taking charge, "Go gather Glenstorm, Asterius and the other generals and we will meet at the stone table in 10 minutes." He ordered before striding away to do who knows what. Embry watched as Caspian narrowed his eyes slightly at the High King's retreating figure, and the dark haired girl found herself scoffing at the blonde's behavior.

"Does he ever get tired of being such an uptight asshole?" Embry mused aloud, earning a snort from Edmund, a chuckle from Caspian, and a shake of the head from Susan. "Just an observation," the dark haired girl shrugged turning to Caspian, "Cas I'll go find Glenstorm and Reep, can you handle the rest?" Caspian nodded to her, and Embry reached up and squeezed his shoulder supportively, not noticing the looks she was getting from the two remaining Pevensie siblings.

"Thanks Em," Caspian smiled at his friend before striding toward the group of Narnians to find the other generals. Pulling her braid back over her shoulder Embry turned back to Susan.

"Care to join me your Majesty?" She smiled teasingly, offering the dark haired queen her elbow. Susan rolled her eyes at Embry's childish antics, but the smile that graced her features betrayed her genuine amusement.

"I don't see why not, we need to grab Lucy as well though." Susan told Embry, slipping her arm through the dark haired girl's. If Embry found it strange that a 10 year old was coming to a war planning meeting, she did not voice her opinions. The girl in question had no issues with the Valiant young queen attending, after all, Embry knew that Lucy had years of experience helping to rule a country and deserved to be there more than she did. Susan looked over her shoulder at her youngest brother, "Ed, perhaps you can go help Caspian gather the generals? I'm sure he would appreciate it." The dark haired boy pursed his lips and nodded, waiting for a moment to watch the two girls walk toward the How, chatting idly and laughing occasionally, before making his way over to the crowd of Narnians to locate Caspian.

 **So that's Chapter 6! It's kind of more of a filler chapter, but I like that it helps to establish some relationships, as well as some skill sets for the characters. So I hope you are all enjoying this story so far, please Read and Review and thanks for reading!**

 **-TheGirlWithTheDorkyDad**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated to The Chronicles of Narnia franchise.**

Glancing around the stone table, Embry surveyed the gathered Narnians that stood waiting for the War Council to convene. Although Peter had said to gather all of the generals, not every creature in that room was officially titled one. In fact, aside from Glenstorm, Asterius, Tyrus, Reepicheep and herself, the rest of the Narnians that were gathered were simply respected members of the Narnian peoples such as Trufflehunter, Trumpkin and Windmane, Glenstorm's wife. Windmane stood near her husband and her son, for Rainstone was present as well, and two other centaurs stood almost directly across from them. Lucy was perched on the stone table, resting her weight on one arm as she sat attentively. Susan sat next to her on the base of what may have at one point been a stone column, and Caspian stood in front of them.

As she looked around at the Narnians, Embry couldn't help but glance at the dark haired king that sat almost directly across from her, quickly averting her eyes when she saw that he was looking at her. Leaning back to rest against the stone, she shifted around attempting to find a position that was not too uncomfortable with her quiver strapped to her back. Finally finding a position in which her quiver was only slightly digging into her back between her shoulder blades, she looked at Peter expectantly as the High King moved to the center of the cavern, ready to begin.

"It's only a matter of time," the blonde king began, "Miraz's men and war machines are on their way. That means those same men aren't protecting his castle." Embry cocked her head to the side at his last few words in curiosity. Something about the way that he said it told her that he had an idea, and if his most recent behavior was any judgement, it was probably an impulsive one.

"What do you propose we do your majesty?" Reepicheep voiced the dark haired girl's thoughts aloud and Embry looked at the two young men with peaked interest.

"We need to get ready for it –"

"To start planning for…"

Both Caspian and Peter spoke at the same time in response to the noble mouse's question. Peter looked at Caspian, pursing his lips into a thin line, his blue eyes darkened by the underlying anger and loftiness that often presented themselves. For a moment, all the two young men did was stare at each other, but Caspian conceded, averting his gaze to the dusty floor of the stone table room and allowing for Peter to finish his statement.

"Our only hope is to strike them before they strike us," Peter declared. Embry pushed off the wall, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees as she stared at the blonde boy in disbelief. _He has to have a death wish…_ the dark haired girl thought to herself as Caspian gave Peter a look that mirrored her thoughts.

"But that's crazy. No one has ever taken that castle." Caspian protested, his Spanish-sounding accent becoming more prominent, as it often did when he became irritated or angry. From the corner of her eye, Embry could see that Susan too had sat up and was looking at her brother with slightly furrowed eyebrows.

"There's always a first time," Peter said, gesturing with his hands as to emphasize his point.

"And let me guess _you_ want to be the first to do it?" Embry retorted, earning herself a glare from Peter. Scoffing she rolled her eyes at the blonde's irritating attitude.

"We'll have the element of surprise." Trumpkin pointed out, making the dark haired girl nod her head to the side at the truth in his statement. Caspian however, wasn't having it.

"But we have the advantage here," The Telmarine Prince replied. Yet another valid point. Susan stood up behind Caspian and took a step forward.

"If we dig in, we could probably hold them off indefinitely." She voiced her support of Caspian, who looked at her as she spoke, their eyes meeting for a moment and a grateful look flickering across his features. Looking at her brother, the Gentle Queen was met with an expression of mixed emotions from Peter, his surprise of her opposing his plan mixed with his prevailing irritation.

"I, for one, feel safer underground." Embry turned her head to look at Trufflehunter as he spoke, her lip quirking in hidden affection for the kind-hearted badger. Peter exhaled and stepped toward Caspian.

"Look." He started, "I appreciate what you've done here, but this isn't a fortress. It's a tomb."

"Yes. And if they're smart, the Telmarines will just wait and starve us out." Edmund spoke up from his place at the base of the column across from the dark haired girl, and Embry had to admit that he did have a point. Sure they could stockpile and ration as much as they wanted, but if the Telmarines established a blockade there was no way they could all survive it.

"We could collect nuts!" Pattertwig exclaimed enthusiastically and Embry shook her head in amusement.

"Yes! And throw them at the Telmarines!" Reepicheep replied to the squirrel, "Shut up!" Embry frowned slightly at the mouse. Pattertwig had only been trying to help. She made sure to make a mental note to have a serious talk with the mouse about bullying and being polite to others, as well as not threatening every single new person he met with his rapier. "I think you know where I stand, sire." Reep finished looking at Peter. Peter was silent for a moment before looking at Glenstorm.

"If I get your troops in, can you handle the guards?" The High King asked the centaur. Glenstorm looked at Caspian, his eyes flickering to glance at Embry seated behind him, and the girl recalled that the centaur had sworn his allegiance to Caspian, not Peter. Caspian met his gaze, before looking away in concession and regret.

"Or die trying, my liege." Glenstorm replied, bowing his head. Embry tensed at her friend's words, not bothering to hide the fact that she was distressed by the idea of the centaur dying. Caspian looked at the centaur in an equal look of shock.

"That's what I'm worried about." A small voice spoke up, and Embry looked at Lucy, who was still perched on the stone table, in genuine awe. All eyes turned to look at the young girl.

"Sorry?" Peter asked, clearly not prepared for his younger sister to speak out.

"You're all acting like there's only two options." The young girl stated, looking around at all the Narnians before returning her gaze to meet that of her brother's, "Dying here, or dying there."

"I'm not sure you've really been listening Lu," Peter said gently, brushing off his sister's statement.

"No, you're not listening." The young Queen said pointedly, "Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?" Embry's jaw slackened at Lucy's audacity of calling out her brother. Peter clenched his jaw, his dark blue eyes positively livid.

"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough," Peter retorted and moved to walk out of the room before he was stopped by a clear voice.

"Technically, you've only been here waiting for about 24 hours. I believe the standard waiting period is more like 36 to 48 hours." Embry spoke clearly from her position on the stone, inspecting her nails. Looking up she saw all eyes staring at her, and Peter glaring at her with such ferocity that any normal person might have flinched. "What?" The girl asked.

"What would you know about Aslan? And who are you to speak to me like that?" Peter spoke, his voice low and dangerous. Embry smirked, standing and folding her arms across her chest.

"I'm not well versed in the tendencies of the great lion, however I can assume that he would appreciate it if we waited more than a day. After all, you didn't even account for travel time." Embry retorted innocently. Peter clenched his jaw. Embry smirked again before her eyes turned serious, "You need to think this through Peter-" She was cut off by the blonde king.

"I have thought it through. We are going to attack." The eldest Pevensie snarled at the dark haired girl. All eyes in the stone table room watched the exchange, holding their breaths. Embry narrowed her grey eyes at the young man in front of her, walking forward and uncrossing her arms.

"This isn't England, Peter. This isn't the Battle of Britain. Night raids, whether they are German pilots dropping bombs, or Narnian's attacking the Telmarine castle, are not the right course of action. What are you trying to prove Peter?" The dark haired girl cocked her head to side, her voice level and dark, her eyes glaring at the High King through narrowed slits. Embry did not notice the effect that her words had on the four Pevensies. Edmund's eyes widened slightly at her audacity, Peter's glare darkened at the mention of his home, his anger ridden mind not fully registering her words. Susan gasped audibly, bringing her hand to her mouth, and Lucy's eyes widened, her jaws slackening. Embry stared at the High King for another moment before stepping back. "But if it is what the High King declares," She stated loudly, never removing her gaze from Peter's, "then so be it." She finished softly, those around her leaning forward to catch her words. She curtsied, "Your majesty." Turning away from Peter, she faintly heard him exit the cavernous room as she made her way over to Susan, who was staring at her with an indiscernible look on her face. Before she could reach the blue-eyed girl however, she was intercepted by Caspian. ( **A/N: I know that the Telmarine race in never stated to be of Spanish origins in the novel or the movie, but for story purposes, I have chosen to give them Spanish roots, therefore all royal Telmarines must know how to speak the Telmarine/Spanish Dialect. Translations will be in Italics immediately following the quote.** )

"Estás bien?" _Are you okay?_ Caspian asked her, his eyes searching her face in concern. Embry smiled weakly, the effects of her altercation with Peter finally hitting her as she realized what she had just done. It comforted her that he was speaking in Spanish, as to keep their conversation from eager ears. She had learnt of his bilingualism on one of her first days in his company, the two had been talking about schooling when he mentioned that all Telmarine Royalty war required to speak the old Telmarine language, which was a dialect of what Embry knew as Spanish. As a child, her mother had taught her a few words, just the ones she remembered from her parents before they died, but the majority of her knowledge in the language had come from 4 years of schooling in the language, beginning it in 7th grade, and continuing to build her skill.

"I'm fine Cas," Embry smiled at the dark haired man that watched her with concern, "I probably shouldn't have said all that though." Caspian smiled at her, squeezing her shoulder in their uniform gesture of comfort and affection.

"Probably not, but it's not as if I hadn't thought of saying something similar." Caspian chuckled slightly at the younger girl. Embry rolled her eyes as he removed his hand. "I will let you know later what your orders are, but for now you'd better go prepare. We leave at sundown." At the girl's confused look Caspian explained, "He told me right before he stormed out after your, disagreement." Embry nodded in understanding.

"Thanks Cas." Embry said softly, surprising him by wrapping her arm around his side and giving him what can best be described as a one armed hug. As quickly as she had engaged the awkward one armed hug, she let go and spun around, striding toward Susan who was now deeply engaged in a conversation with her younger sister at the stone table. They both looked at her as she approached, the dark haired girl curtsying in respect. Although the two had told her not to be so formal, Embry couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, wanting to show the two that she respected them, despite her earlier statements to their eldest brother. "Your majesties, if you would like, you can come prepare for the battle in my ro-chambers. I'm sure we can find some suitable armor if necessary as well."

"Of course thank you, but there is really no need for formalities Embry." Susan told the girl kindly and Embry smiled half-heartedly.

"And don't worry about Peter. He's a bit hard headed sometimes." Lucy chimed in, attempting to ease the girl's palpable worry. Embry smiled at the young queen as she slid off the stone table.

"Come on, I'll show you," Embry told them as they started walking to her room. They walked in silence for a moment before Embry spoke again, "Do either of you need any armor or anything?" Susan shook her head.

"I had mine sorted out already and Lucy is not coming. I will pick it up on the way to your room." Susan explained and Embry nodded. Passing through the main cavern of the How, the space seemed more frantic than usual, the foreboding aura of an impending battle showing through the increased pace of the forges, Narnians of all shapes and sizes hauling around wicker baskets of weaponry, and the stockpile of confiscated Telmarine contraband slowly growing smaller as more and more Narnians were armed for battle. Embry caught a glimpse of Peter speaking to Reepicheep and Glenstorm, and quickly averted her gaze, walking a bit faster to reach the entrance to the corridor that led to her room. In her distracted state, the dark haired girl failed to notice that Susan had slipped off to get her armor, and had now rejoined their trio.

The passage to her room was rather short considering that it was a small stone alcove that had been fitted with a door to ensure her privacy. Something about her being a lady and it only being proper for her to have her own room. Regardless, she was not complaining. Pushing open the door, Embry gestured to her small space.

"It's not much, but it's home." She said to the two girls, a pang of self-consciousness hitting her as she wondered what they would think of her small space when they had lived in a castle.

"I think it's wonderful." Lucy said looking around the room with a large smile.

On one side of the room there was a small bed made from straw with a wooden bed frame and a light blanket that Trufflehunter had been kind enough to get her, along with a pillow from the same benevolent badger. Several torches lit the space, illuminating the drawings that Embry had managed to put up on the walls. There were only two, and neither were that good, but she had merely wanted to remember. One of the drawings she had asked a faun to do, and it was a sketch of her horse, Brego. Getting the faun to agree to go within ten feet of her temperamental horse had been a difficult task, but the drawing itself was well done and even showed the twinkle of mischief that was always in his eyes.

The other drawing was the one that caught the Pevensie girl's attention. It was a light sketch of what appeared to be Embry and another girl, about the same age with tawny hair and brown eyes. Seeing their interest in the photo Embry spoke up.

"My best friend." She stated quietly. Lucy looked over her shoulder at the dark haired girl.

"What's her name?"

"Quinn, her name was Quinn." Lucy frowned guiltily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Embry shook her head.

"She's not dead, I just haven't seen her in a long time is all." Embry explained, looking at the picture with a reminiscent smile on her face.

"We'd better get ready." Susan spoke up after a moment and Embry nodded, closing the door and bolting it shut, just in case anyone decided to stop by. The dark haired girl shed her quiver belt before walking over to the pile of clothes on the small table that stood in the corner of the room opposite of her bed. Digging through the clothing, she eventually found what she was looking for and grabbed the garments before walking over to her bed and throwing them down on it.

"I'll change over here and you can change over there." Embry gestured to the other side of the room and Susan nodded. Lucy sat at the head of her bed and was looking at the pictures intently. Unlacing her worn, brown leather corset, Embry placed it down on the bed next to her pile of battle clothes. The dark haired girl reached down and untied her black, lace-up leather boots, kicking them to the side so that she could put them back on later. Quickly, Embry slipped the dress she currently had on over her head, and laid it on the bed next to her corset, careful not to disturb Lucy.

Dressing herself quickly, Embry was in the process of sliding a leather dagger sheath up her left leg when Susan spoke.

"What in Aslan's name are you wearing?" The blue-eyed girl asked in genuine curiosity and a hint of disapproval. Embry glanced down at her attire. She was wearing her ripped dark-wash skinny jeans, the same ones she had arrived in, and a black, long-sleeved tunic that went to her waist. Around her torso, she had tightly laced the black, leather, front-lace corset. Looking back at Susan, the dark haired girl could see that the Gentle Queen was mainly focused on the piece of leather that she was in the process of sliding up her leg.

"This? It's a thigh-sheath. It took a lot of convincing, but I managed to get one of the dwarves that was working with leather to make it for me." Embry stated proudly, strapping the leather sheath into place near the top of her left thigh before reaching over to grab her black leather belt and putting it on, securing the support strap of the thigh sheath to the corresponding buckle that hung from her belt amidst the daggers. "As for the pants, that's what girls wear where I'm from anyway. Plus I find dressed much too constricting." Embry finished as she pulled on her black leather boots and laced them up.

"Where are you from Embry?" Lucy asked her quietly. Embry paused tying her boot and sighed sitting up to look at Lucy.

"I'm from America," She answered, deciding to keep her 'I'm from the future' fact for later. Lucy nodded, a smile crossing her face. Susan still looked dubious but if she had any other comments, she didn't voice them. Reaching up, Embry wove two braids into her hair, one on either side of her head right above her ears, before pulling all of her hair up into a ponytail. Returning her quiver to its rightful place in between her shoulders, Embry looked at Susan's armor. While she still wore her light purple dress, she had put on a light blue tunic of sorts with a leather vest overtop. On her back, her ivory quiver and red-fletched arrows sat regally in position.

Sliding her daggers into their places, 4 on her belt, the one in her boot, and the one in her thigh sheath, Embry eyed the small bowl on the table, the one she kept the charcoal stick she had used to sketch with. Making a split second decision, Embry strode over to the bowl, and crushed the charcoal pencil with one of her daggers. Embry reached over to the small flask of water that she kept on the table and poured a few drops into the bowl, stirring the mixture with the tip of her dagger. Re-sheathing her blade, Embry coated her fingers with the watery grey substance. Eyeing her hands thoughtfully, she brought them up to her face and starting at the bridge of her nose, pulled her hands and the charcoal across her face to create a thin ashy band across her eyes.

"Why did you do that?" Lucy asked the girl innocently. Embry turned and smiled at the girl.

"If I'm being honest, it's something that I've always wanted to try, I just have a reason now. Plus it makes me look badass, hopefully." Embry replied to the girl, earning a giggle at her statement. Susan grinned at her new friend.

"Perhaps we should go out there now, we will probably be leaving shortly." Susan told the two and Embry nodded stiffly, unlocking the door for the two and grabbing her leather armguards as they left, quickly strapping them onto her wrists as they walked to the main part of the How. Sure enough, Susan had been right and the troops were getting ready for battle. Embry searched the crowd of Narnians until her eyes landed on Caspian, who stood talking to the satyr holding the reigns to her horse. As the three walked into the main part of the How, the buzzing sound of idle chatter quieted, everyone staring wide eyed at the three girls. Susan held her head high, Embry looked dead ahead. All eyes in the cavern were watching the dark haired girls, one looking regal and the other like the bringer of death. Caspian's eyes widened as Embry approached him, taking in her clothing choice. Peter and Edmund, who had been standing to the side, watched her with a mixture of awe and surprise. Before reaching Caspian, Embry turned around to Susan and surprised the girl and herself by pulling the girl into a hug.

"Be careful okay?" Embry murmured to her new friend, and smiled slightly when she felt Susan return the embrace.

"Only if you are." The gentle Queen responded and the two pulled apart. Embry smiled at her friend once more before walking the rest of the way toward Caspian.

"What are my orders Cas?" The dark haired girl asked the Telmarine Prince, who greeted her with a quirk of his lips.

"You will be leading the ground troops with Glenstorm, Nikabrik and Asterius. Myself, Peter, Susan and Trumpkin will be dropped off together by the Gryphons, and Edmund will be dropped at another tower. Once we get into the castle, Peter and Susan will be going to deal with Miraz while I go to the gatehouse, where Trumpkin and Reepicheep will have already made progress lifting the gate. We will also be getting my professor out, or at least I will. Just watch for Edmunds signal to know when to attack." Embry nodded and reached out to take the reins of her horse from the grateful Satyr, who all but ran away, thrilled to be relieved from the job of holding the rude horse.

"Por favor, ten cuidado." _Please, be careful._ Embry mumbled to Caspian as she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. Caspian wrapped his arms around the girl he had come to care for like a sister and rubber her back lightly as she hugged him.

"Y tú hermanita." _And you little sister._ Embry smiled at Caspian as she released his waist, the dark haired prince watching her with care. Without another word, Embry walked over to Brego's side, gripping the sides of his saddle with her hands, and nodding for Caspian to lift as she vaulted herself into the saddle with her friend's help. Settling herself in the saddle, Embry looked down at Caspian and the two nodded at each other before Embry dug her heels into her horse, and the duo shot toward the entrance of the How to find Glenstorm, Edmund Pevensie watching the mysterious girl go.

 **So I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 7! It's the longest chapter I have written yet! Also If you want to know what the charcoal on Embry's face looks like, you can google 'The 100 lexa eyes' and see. Next is the raid! That's gonna be a pain in the ass to write but I've got some pretty good ideas so Enjoy, Read and Review! Thanks!**

 **-TheGirlWithTheDorkyDad**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with the Chronicles of Narnia Franchise.**

There's always that one moment in life when you realize the enormity of a situation that you put yourself in, the moment when your heart starts to pound a little harder, your mind starts racing a little faster, and you reach that understanding of just how important something is. It's the moment when you conclude that you might not be the same afterward, or in Embry Black's case, you might not be alive.

The odds of the night raid's success were slim to none, and although none wished to acknowledge the fact that their chances for survival were dwindling with each step they took toward the Telmarine castle, the thought was stuck in the front of their minds. As each movement brought the Narnian forces closer to the stoic stone walls, Embry's heart grew heavier, her resolve stronger, and her anger fiercer. From astride her horse, the dark haired girl removed her hand from its tense grip on the hilt of one of the knives at her side and reached up, rubbing at her eyes. Why had she decided to smear charcoal on her face again? The only purpose it was serving at the moment was to irritate her, the ashy substance rubbing off on her fingers and making the girl glare at her hand before wiping it on her jeans.

The cloudless sky gave way to a field of stars, each varying in their brightness and each with a history that remained a secret to all those who viewed it. The temperature had dropped as night had fallen, the wind nipping bitterly at the army of creatures as they trudged on with determination. The Narnian army spoke little, the occasional murmuring, muttering and whispering as well as their footfalls being the only breaks in the stifling silence. They walked in complete darkness; torches would alert the enemy, and the element of surprise was crucial to the plan. The damp forest air clouded the dark haired girl's senses and her eyes strained to see more than 5 feet in front of her, their path illuminated only by the light of the moon – something that seemed far too cliché for the young girl. The conditions around them – an army willing to fight for their home, a perfect night, the element of surprise against a terrible enemy, and seemingly fearless leaders – gave the girl an impression of surrealism. It all seemed like a scene from a movie or a book, too perfect to possibly be reality. At least it was perfect at the moment.

Pulling the sleeves of her tunic a bit farther over her wrists, clutching the hems in her palms as a chill ran down her spine, Embry rolled her neck and shoulders in an attempt to eliminate the tension that had built up. Biting her lip, she glanced over at the centaur that was walking next to her. Glenstorm had been assigned the role of one of the lead generals of the Narnian force for the raid, along with Asterius. Reepicheep and Trumpkin were presumably already within the walls of the Telmarine castle and were beginning the first steps of their infiltration plan. On her other side, Rainstone, whom had been named second in command by his father, walked in silence, his face stoic and his posture straight. With a glance at the two centaurs beside her, Embry inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she did so, and letting out a slightly audible exhale.

"What if I can't do it?" She asked softly, half to herself, her voice barely rising above a whisper. Rainstone looked at the young girl beside him, the two being almost level with each other from her position atop of Brego, masking his own anxiety with a look of seriousness. He felt a pang of sympathy for her, she was not even from this world yet was going to war to save it. Prompted by the centaurs' lack of a response, Embry continued, "Take a life?" Her eyes never moving from their gaze, locked onto the castle that was growing closer with every passing movement. There was silence for a moment following her words, the Narnian army falling silent and craning their necks forward to catch any response that might be given.

"Then they take yours," Glenstorm replied, sparing the dark haired girl a brief glance, barely taking his eyes off of the castle in front of them, his voice hardly wavering from its deep, grave, and monotonous tone. Embry bit her lip harder, tasting the salty tang of blood on her lips resulting from her actions, her fists unconsciously clenching tighter onto her sleeves. Any hope that the girl had for an inspiring pep talk was wiped away by those four words, her mind balking at the thought of killing.

The Narnians slowly came to a halt at the edge of the forest, the dark trees fading into grass, the Telmarine castle looming before them, and the waiting game began. All eyes scanned the towers, searching and waiting for Edmund's signal. Within moments, the signal is given, several clear flashes from the flashlight Ed had brought with him to Narnia. Glenstorm and Asterius looked at each other before Glenstorm raised his sword in front of him, indicating for the army to move to its next position at the entrance to the drawbridge. Embry leaned down across Brego's neck, the bay stallion pawing anxiously at the dirt. The dark haired girl smiled slightly, people did always say that animals could sense their owner's emotions or when a storm was coming. Whether her horse was sensing her anxiety and fear or the fact that a storm was indeed coming in the form of a battle, Embry patted his neck reassuringly.

"Shhh," She murmured in his ear, the horse slowly steadying his gait as the pair began to move forward, "It's okay." Embry said, reassuring herself just as much as her horse. Looking around her at the gathered Narnians, she felt a tug at her heart as she realized that many of those around her would not be returning home. _You might not either._ She told herself, the morbid thought lodging itself deep in her mind. Shaking her head, Embry urged Brego forward as she caught back up to Glenstorm, Asterius, and Nikabrik – the latter sending her a nasty look of disapproval, the black haired dwarf had never liked her very much.

Upon reaching the stone fortress, Embry slipped off of Brego's back, rubbing his nose affectionately. "This is as far as you go my friend," She whispered to him, unstrapping his bridle and sliding it into the saddle bag to keep him from getting tangled on the way back to the How. She looked at her horse, a sad smile gracing her face, "now go home and I'll see you when this is over." She told him using her body weight to push him back toward the woods, shoving him with her shoulder. The bay stallion went a few steps before looking back at his friend over his shoulder. "Go!" Embry hissed at him, motioning for her horse to leave with her hands. Sparing one final glance at the dark haired girl, Brego galloped into the woods back towards the How, Embry watching him disappear into the woods before turning and moving to resume her place at the front of the line.

The girl nervously tightened the straps of her quiver, the leather straps crossing between her breasts in the center of her chest. Rainstone glanced down at the girl as he came up beside her, reaching out and squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. Embry smiled at him in thanks, dropping her hands to her side, her left finding itself grasping onto one of the knives on her belt, and her right arm wrapping itself around her midsection.

Quietly, the Narnians slunk through the corridors as they advanced on the Telmarine stronghold, each step leading them to the point of no return. Slowly, Embry reached behind her head, drawing her two daggers from their place on her back. Each knife was about the length of her forearm from the tip of the blade to the base of the hilt. The moonlight caught on the clean blades, having never been used outside of training the blades, and their wielder, clearly showed their lack of experience. Gripping the leather hilts tightly in her hands, Embry twirled them each in an effort to comfort herself, although the idea that daggers could provide her comfort was rather troubling. Up ahead, a movement caught the girl's eye, her focus narrowing on a Telmarine guard pacing throughout the corridor.

The dark haired girl soundlessly moved next to Asterius, gaining the older Minotaur's attention with a tap on the arm, and gesturing to the Telmarine with a jerk of her head. The Minotaur looked at the soldier and then back down at the girl beside him, nodding almost imperceptibly. Embry adjusted her grip on the daggers in her hand as she made a wide arc around the guard, ducking through an archway to get on the other side of the wall behind him. She pressed herself against the stone, careful to keep her blades from scraping against the wall and making a sound, and edged her way to the large arch that went across the main pathway. Peering her head around the corner, Embry watched as the Telmarine caught sight of Asterius, a look of shock and fear taking over his features. The girl had to bite back a chuckle when the Minotaur raised one leather-clad finger to his lips,

"Shhh," she barely heard him whisper. Taking that as her cue, Embry rounded the corner and swung the hilts of her blades with as much force as she could muster against the Telmarine's head, effectively knocking him out. She smirked at Asterius who nodded his head in approval. Glenstorm came up beside her and the army of Narnians continued toward the bridge. Waiting a distance away so as to remain out of sight, they waited in tense silence.

Embry's head jerked up, looking around at the loud clang of bells, her eyes stopping on the flashlight's beam being waved frantically through the air. Nikabrik looked up at Glenstorm and the girl beside him, a look of distaste on his face,

"What's that supposed to mean?" The dwarf scoffed and Embry shrugged. Glenstorm looked at the dark haired girl again, her uncharacteristic silence causing him to furrow his eyebrows momentarily. As quickly as the flashlight had turned on, the beam was gone, leaving the Narnians standing in a confused state, the alarm bells of the castle ringing with intensity.

"I believe this means we have lost the element of surprise," Embry muttered to no one in particular, earning herself a disproving look from Rainstone. Embry looked at him in indignation, "what else could those bells mean?" She huffed, readjusting her daggers in hand once more. The Narnians behind her began to shuffle anxiously, all ready for a fight. Their movement only increased as they could see the drawbridge begin to lower, only waiting for the Just King's signal to begin the attack. As the drawbridge continued to lower, a dark feeling stirred in Embry's stomach as she fully realized their situation.

They were walking into a massacre.

Her attention was drawn back to the task at hand when Glenstorm reared onto his back legs, thrusting his sword in the air at the signal they had been waiting for. Upon returning his forelegs to the ground, the centaur began to charge, the rest of the Narnian army close behind. Embry ran with them, a satyr on one side and a tiger streaking past her on the other, careful not to slice herself or others with her still drawn blades as the force charged toward the stone courtyard. Asterius ran ahead, the Minotaur using his horns and large frame to easily crash through a flimsy wrought iron gate and continued his rampage toward two terrified Telmarine guards at the foot of the drawbridge. The Narnians ran across the bridge and into the courtyard screaming and shouting, and as she ran through the gate herself, Embry faintly heard a battle cry,

"For Narnia!" a voice shouted. Embry glanced to her right and saw Caspian, Susan and Peter. The sound of clashing weapons soon rang throughout the courtyard, overwhelming the dark haired girl. With hardly any time to react, Embry ducked out of the path of a Telmarine sword, readying her blades as she got a good look at her attacker.

The Telmarine soldier looked to be no more than 25, his dark eyes and tanned face drawn into a snarl as he lunged at her again, sword swiping at her barely missing her abdomen. Embry jumped out of the way of the sword, pushing it away forcefully with her knives and causing the Telmarine to stumble. She swallowed in fear as the Telmarine spun around to face her, looking angrier than before. Positioning herself into her ready stance, she held one dagger in front of her, perpendicular to her body and the other at her side, tip pointing toward her attacker.

He lunged again, but this time she was ready, spinning to the side and using her knives to trap the sword between her blades and pull it from his hands. The Telmarine, now disarmed, pulled a knife from his belt and lunged at the girl, who using one knife blocked the blade. A look of horror crossed the man's face, and Embry froze as her blade met resistance. Looking down, she realized that she had thrust her blade forward as the man lunged, and without realizing it, impaled him through the chest. Blood trickled from the corner of the man's mouth, and the dark haired girl realized she must have punctured his lung. Breathing shallowly, Embry yanked her dagger from the man's body as he fell to the floor. She had killed someone. She had actually taken someone's life. Staring at the man's body in shock, Embry yelped in surprise when the body of a faun fell down next to her. Seeing the dead faun's body, Embry felt her blood heat up. _Ardnus._ Embry stared at the faun in horror, his unmoving corpse a far cry from the youthful enthusiasm he had possessed when the two had sparred earlier that day.

"Ardnus," Embry whispered kneeling down next to the body of the fallen faun. She placed her hands on his shoulders, moving her right hand to feel for a carotid pulse, placing her ear above his mouth so check for any breathing. Nothing. No pulse, no breathing. Embry began to panic, looking over her friend's body and noting the crossbow bolt that protruded from his chest, directly over where his heart would be; her stomach flipped as she noticed several of his limbs were splayed around him at unnatural angles. Her breath coming in short pants, Embry felt the churning in her stomach before it came, and she leaned over to her side to heave up the contents of her stomach. Wiping her mouth in disgust, she stood up, averting her eyes from the body of her dead friend.

Looking around the courtyard Embry could see many of the bodies of fallen Narnians, and her eyes looked back at the man she had just killed, narrowing in rage, her emotions beginning to take over. His people were responsible for Ardnus's death, and the death of the other Narnians that were sprawled across the courtyard. The Telmarine people were to blame for driving the Narnians near extinction and into hiding, they were going to be held responsible, they were going to pay. They _needed_ to pay.

Twirling her blades in hand, the girl narrowed her grey eyes, and ran at the nearest Telmarine, only hesitating slightly when she spun out of the reach of his sword and slit his throat in the process. Adrenaline and anger had taken over, her body wired and ready for a fight, the two weeks of nonstop training causing her body to run on autopilot. By no means was she the best fighter, but she could hold her own, and she had anger on her side.

The battle around her raged on as she sliced at a Telmarine soldier, his sword barely missing the girl's head, his movements heavy and stiff. The Telmarine may be stronger, but Embry was faster. Ducking underneath his outstretched blade, she sliced at his stomach making the man double over in pain, clutching his wound. Moving behind him, Embry thrust her blades up and in between the soldier's shoulder blades, crossing her arms at the wrist as she did so. The man's body tensed before falling limp, the girl behind him removing her blades and spinning around to block the next advancing enemy's attack.

The moonlight caught on the dark haired girl's blades once more, the weapons slick with the crimson blood of the enemy, no longer the fresh, unblemished silver they had been going into the fight. These blades would never be the same as they once were, having been used to take a life, the evidence of such actions dripping off the tips of the daggers and onto the stone floor of the courtyard.

From his position above the battle on one of the towers, Edmund watched the battle below him, his eyes landing on Embry as she fought looking almost like a demon with her war paint, grey eyes and dark clothes. Below him, a row of crossbow wielding Telmarine soldiers filed out onto the balcony-esque space, taking their aim at the Narnians below. Edmund's eyes narrowed as he saw the Telmarine almost directly below him take aim at his brother. Without much thought, Edmund jumped onto the roof, sliding down and kicking the Telmarine over the side and into the courtyard. The Telmarine directly next to Ed looked over and noticed that his comrade was no longer standing there, the Just King looking at his older brother in concern. Peter, noticing the commotion, looked up at Edmund, his eyes betraying the fear the sight evoked from him.

"Ed!" Peter shouted frantically. The Just King looked beside him to see the Telmarine's noticing his position and beginning to shift their aim to him. Edmund's eyes widened as he ran toward the door to his right, diving through the doorway and closing the door with his feet as he barely escaped a barrage of crossbow bolts.

Miraz watched the scene unfold before him from his balcony that overlooked the courtyard, scanning the carnage below him. He watched the High King, the Gentle Queen, and his nephew, however his eye was caught by someone else entirely. A dark haired girl, her grey eyes clear and shocking through the band of ashy black that had been painted across her eyes. She fought with intensity, spinning and dodging with her twin blades in her hand, her face in a permanent snarl as she took down soldier after unsuspecting soldier. Unlike the Gentle Queen, the only other female on the battle field was dressed in pants, improper if you asked Miraz. As he watched her fight, he couldn't help but feel some sense of familiarity toward the girl. He was so engrossed in watching her fight, he failed to notice a satyr clutching to the side of his balcony, his blade raised to strike or be thrown. Miraz looked at the satyr startled as he gave a battle cry, only to be cut off with a twang of a crossbow. Looking to his right he saw Glozelle, the head of his guards with a crossbow aimed at the beast. Miraz grinned at the satyr sadistically, the Narnian in excruciating pain yet still holding on to the side of the balcony. With a final grin Miraz reached out and shoved the satyr from the balcony, sending him falling two stories down and landing on the floor of the stone courtyard with a crunch.

Embry spun around at the loud metal clang behind her, eyes widening in terror at the sight of the weight that was to keep the gate open lying on the courtyard floor. Apparently, she had not been the only one to notice, and Asterius ran to the thick metal gate, holding it open on his shoulders. Embry stared at the Minotaur. If the gate were to close, the courtyard would become a tomb for any Narnian in it.

"Fall back!" Embry heard Peter shout from somewhere behind her, the dark haired girl turning around to see the High King descending a set of steps near Miraz's balcony. Embry looked up at Miraz, tensing and narrowing her eyes when she noticed he was watching her, the girl shifting uncomfortably. Shaking off the eerie sensation of having a sadistic bastard stare at you, Embry ran toward the nearest Narnian,

"Fall back!" She shouted, "Get out of here!" Embry swung her blades in an arc, swiftly disarming the Telmarine, the satyr beside her thrusting his sword through their enemy's chest.

"Get her out of here!" Peter shouted to Glenstorm, indicating to his sister. Susan looked at the centaur, who galloped up and grasped her outstretched hand, pulling the queen onto his back. As the pair galloped toward the gate, Susan looked over her shoulder at her brother,

"Caspian! Embry!" She shouted to him. Peter nodded, his jaw tightening,

"I'll find them!" He called back, raising his sword to block a Telmarine soldier's blow. At her name, Embry turned to see Glenstorm galloping toward the gate with Susan on his back, and began to make her way toward the gate, a rather difficult task when you are in the midst of fighting to stay alive. She was almost to the center of the courtyard when a particularly large soldier moved in front of her. Embry raised her blades, dodging the Telmarine's blow by making her knives into an X and using her strength to push him back. Knowing that her time was limited, Embry ducked from another blow, sticking out her right leg and sweeping it toward the Telmarine, knocking his feet out from under him and sending his sword skittering across the stone. Embry sliced at the man, who could only partially block the girl, and delivered a deep gash to the chest.

"Embry!" At her name, said girl looked over her shoulder to see Caspian astride a horse, the reigns of another in hand, and an older man on a third horse close behind him. In her distracted state, the dark haired girl failed to notice the Telmarine at her feet slice at her calf with a small dagger. "Look out!" Caspian shouted to the girl, but it was too late. Embry attempted to move out of the way, but the Telmarine still landed his blow, although it could have been much worse had she not evaded in some way. The Telmarine's knife sliced across her calf, leaving a diagonal gash on the side of her thigh. The dark haired girl cried out in pain, reaching down to grab her wound with one hand, and bringing her knife down with the other. Biting her lip, Embry stood up, pulling her blade from where it had found itself in the man's throat and sheathing both of her daggers as Caspian and his horse approached. Adrenaline still coursing through her system, the cut on her leg felt nonexistent as she jogged toward Caspian who reached out as he trotted by, helping the girl swing up behind him onto the horse as she pushed off of an outcropping stone to help her up. Embry wrapped her arms around Caspian's torso as he handed the reins of the trailing horse to Peter, who used a piece of stone to push himself into the air and onto his horse behind them as the two galloped through the gate.

Embry looked over her shoulder in horror as she watched the scene unfold. Just as Peter made it through the gate, Asterius was hit with yet another crossbow bolt, several already protruding from his body. This seemed to have been the final blow, and the great Minotaur fell to the floor, the heavy iron gate falling onto his back and trapping the rest of the Narnian army in the stone tomb. Fauns, Satyrs, Minotaurs, and numerous animals were stuck behind the iron coffin that had sealed their fate. As they reached the archway where Ironhoof, Suncloud, Glenstorm and Susan were waiting, Embry looked again as the cries and pleads of the trapped creatures reaching her ears, several attempting to climb the gate as they were assaulted with barrage after barrage of crossbow bolts.

"Help us!"

"Run for your lives!"

"Save yourselves!"

The trapped Narnians cried to their escaped comrades, pressing up against the gate, clawing at the metal in a futile attempt at freedom. Embry let out a choked noise, watching as one of the cheetahs that had been trapped was pierced with a bolt from a crossbow, its cry of pain ringing in her ears, its body going limp and falling to the stone floor. A faun jumped up onto the gate, struggling to pull himself higher, hoping to find a way out, only to be shot with several crossbow bolts.

Peter sat astride his horse right in front of the gate, looking at the trapped creatures in horror, and then looking at Glenstorm. Glenstorm lowered his head for a moment before looking at the gate. Embry followed the older centaurs gaze and froze.

"No," she whimpered. Rainstone stood at the gate, looking out at them with sorrowful eyes. He glanced at Embry before sharing a look with his father. Rainstone nodded at his father before turning and returning to the massacre that was to be his fate. "No, no, no," Embry said, her cries getting louder each time. Letting go of Caspian's torso, the dark haired girl slid off the horse, her body shaking as she felt the adrenaline dissipating. "We have to help him!" She cried, not realizing that she had begun to sob as she attempted to move back toward the gate. She only got a few steps before strong arms wrapped themselves around her chest, pulling her back.

"Peter, the bridge!" Caspian called as he fought to restrain the girl he had come to think of as a little sister. Peter cast one last devastated look at the Narnians trapped in the courtyard before urging his horse onward, jumping the bridge before it closed completely. Caspian was attempting to calm a hysterical Embry.

"No we can't leave him!" She all but screamed, falling to her knees with Caspian's arms around her, her body shaking, tears coating her cheeks as the screams and cries of the Narnians they had to leave behind made their way to her ears. "Please," she whimpered, her eyes never leaving the closing drawbridge.

"Em, we need to go." Caspian murmured in the girl's ear, helping her to her feet. The shaking girl nodded, not fully comprehending the situation at hand, and allowed Caspian to help her onto his horse, pulling himself on behind her. Sparing one last glance at the now closed draw bridge, Caspian urged Destrier into a gallop, Glenstorm, Susan, and Peter close behind him as they rode away from the massacre.

The walk back to the How was silent, the Narnian force half the size it was upon their departure. The sun rose as they neared the grassy clearing that preceded the How, the caravan of injured and despairing creatures slowly moving ahead without much purpose or fervor. Embry remained on the back of Caspian's horse, her arms wrapped securely around her midsection as Caspian led the horse forward. Her injured leg was not so bad that she could not walk, however her mental state was what worried the man. She had not spoken at all on the ride home, opting instead to cry silently and finally stare into space. Following her breakdown outside the gate, Caspian had managed to calm her down slightly, but the girl had retreated so far into herself that Caspian feared it would be difficult to draw her out again.

As she stared at the approaching stone stronghold, Embry's mind was still lost inside the stone courtyard of the Telmarine castle, her heart with her dead comrades that lay still on the cold, unforgiving floor. The dull ache of her calf muscle where the Telmarine soldier had cut her lingered in the back of her mind, the shallow cut covered in a layer of dried blood, visible through her jeans. She could still hear the haunting cries of the trapped Narnians resonating in the back of her skull, bouncing off the bone, echoing. The girl's mind then flashed to the first Telmarine soldier she had encountered, the first time that she had taken a life.

She still couldn't fathom how she had been able to do it, slowly coming to the realization that she had taken a man's life – she had _killed_. She had stopped the man's heart and spilled his blood. Embry stared ahead, replaying all of the moments that she killed someone in her mind, her heart becoming heavier with each slash of the knife. Horror seeped into her heart, a chill running down her spine as she fully understood what had just happened, the adrenaline and residual emotion finally exiting her system completely.

What was left of the Narnian army passed through the stone archways and over the stone patch as they made their way to the entrance of the How. Lucy and Windmane appeared from inside as they exited the How, and the Narnians who had stayed behind during the battle scanned the crowd anxiously for their friends and family. Lucy looked at the approaching group in sadness.

"What happened?" She asked with a hint of desperation, directing her question at her eldest brother as they met each other's gaze. Peter clenched his jaw before responding.

"Ask him," Peter sneered, looking at Caspian. Caspian slowed his pace and looked at the young man beside him in disbelief, dropping the reins of his horse.

"Peter," Susan chastised, sensing the volatility of the situation that was about to occur.

"Me?" Caspian scoffed coming to a stop, "You could have called it off, there was still time." Peter walked another step before spinning on his heel to look at the Telmarine prince.

"No there wasn't thanks to you. If you'd kept to the plan, those soldiers might be alive right now." Peter stated, a lump forming in his throat.

"And," Caspian all but growled, "if you'd just stayed here like I suggested, they definitely would be!" Caspian stepped toward Peter, glaring at the blonde king. Peter took a step toward the dark haired prince, raising an arm in the air slightly.

"You called us, remember?" Peter retorted, blue eyes blazing. Caspian curled his lip slightly.

"My first mistake."

"No. Your first mistake was thinking you could lead these people." Peter scoffed turning to walk into the How.

"Hey!" Caspian shouted, ignoring all of the eyes that were trained on the altercation between the High King and the Telmarine Prince. "I am not the one who abandoned Narnia." Caspian said in a low and dangerous voice. Peter stared at the dark haired man in disbelief.

"You invaded Narnia." The High King stated, pointing his finger accusingly at Caspian as he moved toward him. "You have no more right to it than Miraz does!" Caspian pushed past the eldest Pevensie, the two hitting shoulders as he went, and had barely gotten a few feet before Peter continued, "You, him, your father…" Caspian froze, anger beginning to radiate off of the man. "Narnia's better off without the lot of you!" Caspian's face warped into a look of pure anger as he let out an animalistic cry and drew his sword. Peter did the same as the two leaders held their blades at each other's throats.

"Enough!" A voice shouted loudly, drawing the attention of all but the two young men, both refusing to lower their blades. Susan turned to see that Embry had dismounted the black steed she had remained on the entire ride, and although the Gentle Queen could see flickers of the sadness and guilt in her eyes, the other dark haired girl's gaze quickly turned hard and cold. At that particular moment, Embry looked terrifying. Her hair, while still pulled up, was ruffled and unkempt, her ashy war paint dried in streaks down her cheeks from her tears. Her grey eyes were burning with fury and disappointment as she stalked over to the two swordsmen, her clenched fists covered in dried blood of her enemies. At her approach, the two men diverted their attention to the girl, but their swords did not move.

"You call yourselves leaders," Embry snarled, taking them both by surprise at the unabashed animosity and anger in her voice, "yet all I see are two little boys playing pretend, and fighting to show who has the bigger ego. Keep acting like that and you'll get us all killed." Peter glared at her, and she met his gaze levelly. "Caspian I expected better from you," She said disappointment evident in her words as the dark haired prince met her eyes before looking at the ground in shame, yet never dropping his sword from its place at Peter's throat. The dark haired prince had grown to be like an older brother to the girl during her time in Narnia and to see him act so rashly due to another male, both too overwhelmed by testosterone and egos to see the harm they were doing to others, was disappointing. Moving her gaze to the blonde teenager she met his gaze, never wavering despite the animosity in his gaze, "And you…" she trailed off. Peter narrowed his eyes at her, adjusting his grip on the sword in his hand, still holding it at Caspian's throat.

"You know nothing about me," Peter stated and Embry chuckled darkly, earning herself a startled look from those watching the scene in front of them.

"You want to be treated like the king you once were," Embry stated her voice laced with venom as she stared at the boy in front of her. Peter clenched his jaw at her words.

"I am still the king and you will treat me as such." Peter demanded his voice steady, no longer yelling. Embry scoffed.

"If you want people to stop treating you like a child, then stop acting like one." She told him, stepping closer to the High King, stopping when the two were less than 2 feet away. "And when you start acting like a king, then I'll start treating you like one." The dark haired girl growled, her grey eyes meeting Peter's blue ones in an unflinching gaze.

"Guys!" Edmund shouted, and the three turned to look as Glenstorm made his way to the front of the group, holding Trumpkin the red dwarf in his arms, the small man barely clinging to life. Lucy let out a gasp as she ran toward the group with Trufflehunter hot on her heels, Edmund helping to lower their friend to the ground gently. Caspian watched as the young queen removed a vial from her belt and poured a single drop into the mouth of the dwarf. He met Embry's disappointed Gaze, and felt his heart drop. The fact that he had disappointed the girl he had come to think of as family made his heart heavy with guilt. Turning toward the How, the Telmarine prince walked into the stronghold, returning his sword to its place at his side as he walked. Embry watched him go, not failing to notice Nikabrik abandoning his place at Trufflehunter's side and following the dark haired prince into the How.

Embry turned her head back to Lucy and Trumpkin, letting out a sigh of relief as the dwarf began spluttering. Catching Edmund and Susan looking at her in concern, she chose not to meet their eyes, instead looking at Glenstorm. Following the gaze of her friend, she watched as Windmane lowered her head and began to cry, Glenstorm reaching up to grasp Suncloud's hand that had found its way to the older centaur's shoulder. Embry's stomach lurched as she was reminded of Rainstorm's fate, the image of her friend behind the iron gate flashing through her mind.

"What are you all standing around for?" Trumpkin asked gruffly. A few around him let out chuckles; despite having been near death moments before, the dwarf did not lose his spirit. "The Telmarines will be here soon enough." Lucy smiled at her friend, despite his words holding true. From where she stood, Embry could faintly hear what Trumpkin said next. "Thank you, my dear little friend." The red dwarf whispered to the young Queen. The corner of Embry's lip quirked up at his words, but only slightly. Turning away from the group, she began to walk toward the How. Taking a deep breath as she passed Windmane, Embry paused.

"I'm so sorry," The dark haired girl whispered to the grieving mother, reaching out and squeezing her hand reassuringly. Windmane gave the girl a grateful look and Embry released the centauress's hand, walking the rest of the way into the How. Immediately, Embry made a beeline toward her room, ignoring any looks she received from the Narnians in the How. Entering her room, the dark haired girl removed her quiver and bow, setting them on the floor near the foot of her bed and sliding down the wall to sit on the floor.

Her arms curled around her legs, Embry pulled her body into a ball as she finally let herself go. The sobs came in waves, wracking her body and making her shoulders heave and tremble, her breaths shallow and frantic. The faces of all the dead Narnians she had seen played through her mind like a movie on repeat, her head buried in her knees, her eyes screwed shut. In her state, she failed to hear the knock on the door, or the squeak of the rusty hinges as the old wooden door was pushed open. Embry felt the person slide down the wall next to her, not saying anything.

The person placed a hand on her back and rubbed circles in between her shoulder blades as she cried, helping to sooth the girl next to them. They sat like this for a few minutes as Embry sobbed, the dark haired girl slowly calming down. Looking up at the person through her watery eyes, Embry was surprised to see the dark brown eyes of the Just King as he watched the girl next to him with guarded interest and concern.

"Why are you here Edmund?" Embry croaked, her voice hoarse from sobbing. She reached up and wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her tunic, slightly embarrassed at her actions. Edmund shrugged.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. Embry looked at him curiously, becoming painfully aware of his hand still residing between her shoulder blades.

"Well thanks," She said softly, refusing to look at the Just King. Edmund pursed his lips and nodded, an action that the girl saw out of her peripheral vision. The two teenagers sat in silence a moment longer, neither saying a word, just enjoying the silence and the presence of another. Without a word, Edmund pushed himself off of the floor.

"I should probably go find my brother," Edmund told the dark haired girl, who sighed and moved to get up as well. Edmund held out his hand to the girl, who hesitated before grabbing it and allowing the boy to help her to her feet.

"Yeah," She cleared her throat slightly, "I need to go find Caspian before he does something stupid." Wiping her hands on her thighs, Embry opened her mouth to say something else, but her words were stopped by Trumpkin swinging open the door, the red dwarf looking frantic and breathless.

"Come quickly," the dwarf said looking between the two of them, "Nikabrik is trying to use Caspian to bring back Jadis."

 **So that's Chapter 8 of War of Hearts! I know I haven't been on/updating much lately and I apologize, summer has actually been super busy for me and I only have like 2 weeks left so that sucks. But I want to try to finish the book before school starts and things get even crazier, but my main goal is going to be to finish the book in general. So I hope you like this chapter, its 13 pages of my blood sweat and tears, and it took like 5 or 6 hours to write because I wanted to make sure that I showed the characters emotions the way that I wanted to. Embry is by no means a warrior, she is just a girl who was taught to fight and is expected to use her training, so I attempted to show how she didn't want to take a life, but after seeing what the Telmarines were doing to her friends – the people she had grown to think of as family – being slaughtered, she kind of snapped and I wanted to make sure that I showed that. I also wanted to show her realizing what she had done, and how many lives she had taken so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It is the longest one in the book so far by like 5+ pages. So hopefully I can start working on the next chapter soon and I hope you enjoy! Please Read and Review! Also, any constructive criticism/ mistakes you notice (plot or grammatical) are much appreciated! Happy Reading Everyone!**

 **-TheGirlWithTheDorkyDad**


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